


No time left

by Tulipmaster



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Aliens, Apocalypse, Blood, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Loss, Guns, Killing, M/M, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationships don't play a important role., Sad, Some cute moments, Survival, Sword Fighting, They do it for Liechtenstein, netherlands crying, pairs to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-04-23 20:13:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 43,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14340069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tulipmaster/pseuds/Tulipmaster
Summary: An apocalypse had fallen on the world, the connection broken between the continents then countries. Most humans gone without a trace left and the surviving overtaken by strange humanoid creatures that won't hesitate to kill them. Families lost and hope given up. Follow the story of how Netherlands, England, the Nordics and others try to find one another before it's to late.Loved ones, will they ever see there love again? Or loose their sanity, on the way?There's no solution to stop it...Or does it just look that way...E-rated for only the first chapter: the rest will be M-rating





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello, this isn't my first time of writing any kind of story but the first time that I actually publish it. So I hope it is alright. Other characters will be featured later, it's just the beginning of the story. As the story progresses more will be included. I'll try to at least update it every two weeks untill it's done. I may update it sooner if I have time for it. If you come across a word that isn't English the translation is all the way down. I already uploaded a part on fanciction.net. I'll update it as frequently as I do there.  
> Anyway hope you'll like and enjoy it
> 
> \- the first chapter is just the beginning it will get better.
> 
> warning:  
> -The first chapter isn't for the faint hearted, (lots of mentions of blood and gruesome scenes.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The order when which character will appear in the story, not this chapter.
> 
> Netherlands - Abel  
> England- Arthur  
> Finland- Tino  
> Sealand- Peter  
> Sweden- Berwald  
> Switzerland- Bash  
> Liechtenstein- Elise  
> France- Francis  
> Denmark-Mathais  
> Austria- Roderreich  
> Luxembourg- Eliot  
> Germany- Ludwig

No one saw it coming, as the connection with North and South America was lost. All the air planes went missing that were high up in the sky, their signals disappaered off the radar. Asia, Africa and Oceania was disconnected from the rest an half an hour later. The only place that was still left unharmed was Europe. But it came clear what was happening, strange horrifying objects flew over the Mediterranean sea and before Spain and Italy could warn the rest their connection was lost with the rest. Within an hour, half of Europe's people were gone a half day later only 20% was left. Which dropped even further as earthquakes and floods began to happen it was lowered to only 10%.

Netherlands was at his sister's house on the moment that it happened. It happened so fast, he vaguely remembered the ceiling falling down and hearing screams outside. A high pitched tone was the last thing he heard, before he woke up under the table. Dust laying around him. "What on earth has happend? Emma where are you?" He pushed a big wall back that had fallen over the table, it collapsed falling on the chair where he was on the moment it happened. He remembered nothing off it, he had lost his consciousness when something hit his head. He was breathing hard, as he set himself on his behind and shoving himself slowly back when he felt something dripping down. It was blood. He slowly looked up to see a gruesome torn in half human with it's, the limbs laying in the corners off the room. The intestines hanging across the walls, it made him almost puck, it wasn't his sister he could see it. Something was horribly wrong. But where was his sister? He saw her nowhere. He remembered that she had gone to the kitchen before he went unconscious. He slowly stood up not trusting it. Since Emma's maid was the torn up lady. He slowly walked over to the kitchen she had went to and softly opened the door, it was just the same as the room where he was, every piece of the ceiling laying on the ground, blood streamed his way.

No, no, no, no... He wanted to ran inside but a scratch against the floor made him hesitate. Only his sister wasn't standing there but a tall lanky figure, with big claws connected to big hands connected to muscler long arms and teeth dripping with blood. He couldn't stop looking he was stiffened with fear. It held someone in his claws, it's liveless body dripping of blood. His eyes widdened as he saw Bella's headband and her ring on her finger he had given her for her birthday. The creatures head went to her side and took a bite of it, her intestines and other organs fall out. He couldn't hold tears back as he saw how the creature was feeding on her. Her soft hand no longer grabbing his cheeks and her arms going around his neck as they hugged. The blood dripped out of her as the creature took another bite making her lower end fall off. His eyes began to shiver he couldn't move he just couldn't look away. He would never see and hear her smile again, no longer would she be there around him brighting his days, no longer would she try to get him of smoking, no longer those happy moments.

The sky got dark above him as black ashes began to fall down, he heard the creature breath hard. He stiffened when the creature turned his head around looking at him with it's white eyes. Dropping what was left off Bella's body and slowly turning towards him. He slowly pushed himself back grabbed the photo off his siblings that had fallen down and did it in his pocket. He turned himself around and he didn't know how fast he had to run, running through the living room and climbing over the fallen ceiling, thumbling but running further, he heard the door crack before it was thrown against the wall.

The claws scratching the floor as the creature ran over the bricks. He threw the front door close behind him, tears streamed down his cheeks as he ran further. The only way out was the woods where he hoped he to lose the creature. Fear filled him, his sister was dead, he didn't know if his brother was still alive this huge horrifying creature behind him that would surely kill him like Emma. He heard the creatures claws against the pavement getting closer to him fast. His last chance would be jumping down in the bushes. His arms went infront of his face tears flying through the sky before he jumped in the unkown branches ripping pieces if clotches off, the creatures claw just missing him and failing to grab him.

Leaving a huge wound on his back as the claw went in his skin from the top off his right shoulder to his left hip. He fell hard and rolled a couple metres further, before he fell in a deep narrow ravine. Blood started to coil up in his clothes, as his arms going infront off him. He grabbed the photo and looked at it before he hugged it close to him. His beloved sister dead, his brother unkown. He heard the creature crawling down through the bushes and heard it scream before he looked up seeing the creature luring down looking straight in his eyes, it began to try reaching him. His claws just not touching him. He knew he was going to die right there and hugged the photo tighter against him, as the creature began to dig at the opening off the ravine. Some off it's saliva together with dirt fallening on him, it left burn marks on his hands, the saliva was red, red off blood. He began to shiver as he pushed himself further in ravine away from the creature that just followed him turning his head to the side and his big white eye at him and blinked at him one time the claws again reaching out, but this time he was protected by rocks the were by the opening, not making it anymore less horrifying. As he heard the creature breath hard and more saliva falling down. It was onto him it had to have him. Just like his sister. The arm suddenly left the ravine as he heard the creature walk around him a few times trying to get to him in other ways. But suddenly the arm stopped grabbing towards him. It's head went again above him, it screamed right at him before he slowly heard it leave. Climbing up the hillside as some branches fell down. In his head he was puzzling the look off the creature by eachother, long black claws and a long thin purple tongue, long arms and legs, it was heavily packed with muscles. The feet where almost the same as the hand but the claws were shorter. A long slender face, with broad jaws with long syringe like teeth. And a small white spot on it's forehead. He was shock, his breathing not slowing down. He lifted the picture a bit up as he finally began to sob out loud. The tears leaving him, his beloved sister taken by this creature. He had to find his brother he just had to. "I promise that I'm going to find him, all is it the last thing I do, I don't want to loose him too." It as like he was talking to her. He putted the picture in his pocket, a sudden sharp pain was felt in his calf. He saw the blood streaming in his jeans, out off instinct he grabbed his beloved scarf and tore it in two, binding his calf hoping it would stop the bleeding. It made him cry a bit harder his sister had made it just for him. He didn't get up, he didn't know for how long he stayed there but it was long. How had he survived this, it was just dumb luck that he had fallen down this ravine. But staying down here wasn't the way to survive this. He suddenly stopped crying and his face went emotionless, he was going to survive this for them, for his sister, all is it the last thing he does and crying wouldn't make him survive. He tried to stand on his legs and fell almost down again. But he wasn't going to give up, for her to have her life further in him. He felt the warmth on his back, but he ignored it. He would have take care off that later, first get out off this ravine to go back to the village and find any sort of gun or something he could use as defence.

Through gritted teeth he grabbed a tree root and lifted himself up. His other hand grabbed towards the edge searching for something to hold onto. His hand found another tree root sticking out above the ground. He grabbed it with all his power and lifted himself out off the ravine. he layed on his stomach looking around to see if it was still here. Traces of how the creature had gotten up the hill made him swallow hard. One off the claws was stuck in the ground, half way up the hill. He was covered in dirt, his breath still hadn't gone down, just like his fear. He had to get away here and warn the others. He got onto his feet and slowly walked to the hill biting through the been in his right leg. a sinister feeling was inside him as he climbed up the hill. The large claw was sticking in the middle of the path up. His left hand pulled it out off the soil, it was atleast something to defend himself with.  
It was far to quiet to Abel's likings as he got back onto the road, cars laid on their sides the glass spread across the road like the scratches the creature had left behind. He was on his watch looking around for ever so slight movements as he began to slowly walk with his stiffened leg. The first car got his attention he walked towards it and started looting it from the most essential stuff. A blanket a raincoat and a lighter the rest was unimportant. A branch snapped as the creature, came around the corner. It was the same creature that wanted to kill him and it was walking in his direction and not noticing him.

He went under the car as fast as possible, trying to keep himself as quiet as possible but his breath got fast. The creatures claws scratched against the concrete. It got closer and he could hear it sniff the air, his claws going, over the car before it walked further out off the town. He looked in the direction where the creature went but it was gone it had disapeared into thin air. He slowly crawled away from under the car. He had no time to waste. He had to get out of here. Straight away he went into a survival shop that was beside the road and grabbed the biggest possible backpack, a survival backpack were he did the blanket raincoat and lighter in fast. Sevaral things caught his eyes as he wanted to leave, night goggles, normal goggles, a water filter, a Swiss army knive and a mouth mask. He quickly did it in his back pack and did the mask and goggles on, not wanting to breath any of this unknown stuff in or get it in his eyes, you never knew how careful you could be. The door cracked when he went out off the shop, there surely would be some people in grocery store trying to get food to survive.

He walked towards the store, hoping that he wasn't the only one that had survived this, but deep down he had the fear he was. Abel heard the glass of cars crack under his feet, as he walked further. There were blood splashes on cars, walls and streets. Some cars burning down leaving thick black clouds rising up in the sky. He thought he finally had found a living being only the see half off it's body hanging out off a car, he swallowed hard as he past by not giving it any second look, as flashes of his sister being eaten got back.  
Abel's heart rate quickend, there was a pool of blood streaming under the door that was from the grocery store. He prepared himself for the worst: the creature waiting on him. The doors opened as he set a step forward, where he was frozen in time, dead bodies laying across the floor. It was full of blood, the creature knew people straight away would go here and had waited on them before he killed them all. He was even more in shock when he saw half off a body the rest was roughly bitten off. The smell off fresh blood made him almost puke, he pulled the rest off his scarf over his mouth and stepped over the bodies, by every turn he was greeted by more off them. He went straight away to the canned goods those would last the longest. He did his bag off his back and began to stuff it with food, canned beans, corn, red kale, baby carrots and peas, he filled a third with it. He knew food was going to be rare.

The next thing he did was going to the aisle where all the sodas stood. Hoping he would find some water bottles. To his horror, he dead human laid there and more then a half off all the bottles were broken, the fluid was still streaming down onto the floor. He pushed the broken bottles aside and grabbed the last 2L water bottles, 5 of them. He saw some protein bars across the section, he did a five boxes in his backpack and grabbed a few candybars packages. That was high off calories and compact, it may not be the healthiest but it would give him a big amount of energy.

His heart sunk when he saw Belgian waffles laying there. His hand shaked as he reached out for them, he pulled his hand back and stared at them for a while. Before he grabbed a few, as a memory of his sister. Was there anything else that would be rare later, he then remembered dried fruits. It was compact and full of the vitamins that he had to have, grabbing a few off those too. Now it was time to get the hell out off here, he didn't have a safe feeling in him, that creature could return soon and this time it wouldn't spare him.

Running out off the shop and again going to a car and grabbing a first aid box. His urge to get out off here got bigger and bigger. But he would need more than just the giant claw to protect him. He than knew again that there was an armybase close. He would go there grab some guns and get out off this town. To get there he would need a transportation device, a car would be to loud and walking would be far to slow, he wouldn't be able to out run that creature. A bike shop popped up and he quickly grabbed a mountainbike out off it and drove to the army base. The further he got through the town more he realised how much luck he had, the whole town had been murdered by that creature. he was the only one lucky enough to survive it. He threw the bike against the fence, climbed over the fence off the army base. It was just as silent as the town, only no blood was here. He quickly went to the storage room and grabbed the best guns he could find a small and a bigger one. The small one for when it was out off the sudden and the bigger one for when he was going somewhere unknown to protect himself. He grabbed as much ammunition as he could. He hesitated but also grabbed a few hand grenates. You never know if they would come to use. Now he felt lucky that Denmark had slurred him to Finland once, who had learned him how to use and reload guns properly. He hoped they where alright or atleast better off as him.

He didn't have much hope to go to his country, as he felt the water rise in the coastal area fast. His dikes wouldn't hold it much longer as a few days before he whole country would be flooded. It fell hard on him but crying wouldn't help the situation. Only handling with a controlled mind would. Before he left the building he searched for a cell phone, he had to inform the others off this creature. First England, he didn't pick up, France no answer, Luxembourg only beeps, Germany no response. He did the phone back, he would have the spread it through people he would come across, hoping it would reach them if they were still alive. He left the abandoned building and slowly climbed over the fence as he felt his leg hurt. But that would have to wait, as he stepped towards his bike and followed the way towards Luxembourg. He had to search for his brother.

He hoped he would still be on time, he didn't want to loose him too like his sister. It would be a long way before he would arrive in Luxembourg.

He didn't let his guard down, as he came in another town, which was just as silent as where he had come from. Blood covered the road, the creature had already been here, as he saw the blood splashes on the walls and saw scratches on the cars. There was a low chance that anyone had survived this. He set his bike against a wall as it began to darken, he had to find a hiding spot, he took the big gun out first before he went inside one off the houses, kicking the door open. No one was here, there was no blood smell and no bodies. It had been empty, all for a long time there was a thick layer off dust on the furniture.

It didn't make him feel any more safe though. The creature could still be here, walking around in the streets, looking for any humans that had survived his first round through the town. He took the night goggles out and did them on quickly. He grabbed a glass jar and opened It, lowered his mask as he ate half out off it. Before he did the lit on again and in his back pack. He tried to sleep that night, but he just couldn't, he had seen the creature and knew how fast it was, felt how sharp it's claws were. How he killed the humans and ate them. He had his gun close to him and his eyes flashing around the room if he heard something crack.

He sat up and saw a cat. That some how had survived this, it crawled close against him. He didn't want any kind off affection, not when that creature could still be luring around. His back was hurting like hell, he would have to take care off his back tomorrow. Finally his eyes began to feel heavy and he fell asleep although not for long. The sight off his sister being eaten, made him sit straight up, it was already light and looked towards his watch 8 a.m. The cat was gone and no longer curled up against him.

He grabbed his gun before he slowly walked up the stairs. Opening every room but finding no one. So he went into bathroom and slid his back pack off, his jacket and shirt off. It was a gaping wound, but lucky it was only a crust off dried up blood. He needed new clothing, his own was ripped apart. He left the bathroom with he backpack and went inside the bedrooms and grabbing a clean shirt and did it on. The stairs cracked as he walked down stairs, a camouflage jacket in the hallway got his attention. He hesitated before he grabbed it of the coat rack and did it on.

Abel quickly ate another part off the already opened jar before he left he building. His bike was still there, but something was off, there was blood on the wall above it, the creature was close and knew he was here. He could see that the blood was not old as it was still streaming down a bit. It had been here as he had been asleep in one off the houses. He had to leave now... right away, no time to search through the town for usual stuff.

He grabbed the stir and went on his bike. Lucky him had actually picked a silent bike, it didn't make a sound as he began to ride further, slowly he went faster. As he saw the behind off the creature by a crossing point as it went in a small street. He kept his breath as he fastened his pace, before he breathed out again. It was searching him, knowing that he had survived him. Netherlands had to go to a safe place quick before it would be too late. He didn't know how long it would take the creature to search that whole town and move further following him.

The exit towards the highway was getting clear, it made him sigh out of relieve. Abel cycled in between the cars that spooky stood still on the road. Abel didn't know how, but he felt more unsafe here than in the village with that creature. But willpower to get to his brother was pushing him further through it all, otherwise he would just had died already there or had lost his mind. His feeling was right, out of no where the ground began to shiver as cracks began to form in the road as a gaint hole began to form, out off his instinct he rushed further as quick as possible. A big shiver hit the ground as the gaping hole was expanding just behind him, pieces underneath his behind wheel off his bike cracking up. The cars falling in the growing hole that was kilometres deep. Just when he thought he would be swallowed by the hole, the shaking stopped and the hole didn't expand any further. He swallowed hard as he went on.

He soon found out his lands with his sister's has been lost. Almost everyone had died and the persons the had survived the first round died with the unexpected flooding or wouldn't survive the creatures. There sure would be more off those creatures walking around, that creature wouldn't come alone, Netherlands was sure off it. Yet some off his people had survived it, probably the ones in the higher areas or the ones on vacation or the ones in Germany.

Otherwise he would be in a far worse state or had died already. No people, no land meant no thing to present so that meant dead. He avoided big cities, those creatures were lured to places where there were much people. As he wanted to survive he had to stay unnoticed of those creatures.  
As he wouldn't find his brother, he would straight away head towards Switzerland, the country that actually was the closest to him. The last things he knew off the rest is that they were further gone. Germany had went to East Germany close to the Polish border, before the contact was lost. Denmark was high up in Norway and France had gone to Spain to get some comfort. He had no idea if they had survived, but counted on the worst. He hoped Switzerland was spared due to his ever lasting neutrality. Like with those white creatures with no face, but he expected the worst off it. If he wasn't spared he was sure Switzerland knew how to Survive. He knew Switzerland, Basch didn't like moving out off his house even if the world would fall apart. With his guns and everlasting chocolate and cheese provision, he would atleast camp there for several months before they went out off provision. He would protect his house at all cost.

The further down he went from his place the worse the damage to the houses, shops got, the dead trees and the thicking off ash. He was glad he had found this mask. He got less hope that the southern nations had survived. Before he would go over the border to Luxembourg he got off his bike and walked towards the side of the road grabbed an empty can out off his backpack and did some dirt in it, this way he would carry a piece of Belguim with him, it made a tear fall down in the can. "I'll never forget you, zus." This was the last time he would be in Belguim, there was no hope to survive here. Here would end his mourning over her, to leave it all behind with the country that had fallen under the apocalypse. He had to have find his little brother, for her all was it the last thing he would do.

His rations had shrunken down, only few cans off food that would leave him good for only a few days, he still had the candy bars with him for emergency cases and the waffles he wasn't going to touch any time soon. Abel hadn't gone in a town for a while now and only stopping to eat, drink or sleep. It was because he had the feeling that the creature that had killed his sister and almost him was following him and playing a game with him. He called the creature 'the witte dood', since it's eyes were the last thing you would see before you knew it wanted to kill you. It still wouldn't leave him as he would lay down to sleep, if he could sleep most time he laid with his eyes wide open. Surviving for them was his purpose, to find his brother and tell him and hold him.

He grabbed his bike again and went on and climbed further over the hill and went down the hill in Eliot's land, which is small, he could look through it in a few weeks as he was going to search for him. His first town, no luck the creature had been here, the blood across the place was a big indicator, yet he had to camp here as the night began to darken and in the dark he would be completely defenceless against that creature. He slowly cycled through the village, the small gun with a gunsilencer hanging from his side. It again was silent, no sound, no trace of a living being being here.

Suddenly he was hit and flew against a wall that was already full of blood. He fell down and groaned as he grabbed his right arm. There was a deep cut straight across his bicep. Blood began to stream out off it, in heavy amounts. It's claw had went through an artery. If he wouldn't treat it fast he would bleed out. The creature shoved the bike across the street against a dead tree, the wood making a cracking sound. It had been here the whole time, just to wait him up to kill him. He had no where to run, he was closed in. A male's body lay beside him, it was fresh as he saw the colour still on it's face, a photo in his hands of what he assumed to be family. It had been a surviver, that hadn't arrived much earlier as him. This creature clearly just killed for fun. He felt something wet and warm stream down the side off his face, it was blood out of his scar that had reopened due to the hard hit against the wall.  
The creature set himself on his four paws and looked deeply at him, it's tongue darting out. The claws scraping against the bricks as it slowly got closer and growled towards him, his claws dragging over the road leaving a trail of blood behind. He knew this was his end this creature would kill him, he already closed his eyes, as his breath fastened. He heard the creature slowly getting closer. "Don't give up brother, your gonna make it" he opened his eyes fast, his willpower had come back and his face became the expression hatred it self. His left arm grabbing the smaller gun fast, pointed it towards it's head and shot. The bullet went straight through it's head between his big white eyes. The creature showed no sign off pain and continued walking further.

 

Guns didn't work on them. With a shaking arm he dropped the gun on the pavement. He was actually going to die, he had nothing else on him to defend himself. The creature stood up on his behind legs and lured over him the saliva falling down on his clothes. he remembered the claw he had taken with him now. The creatures face came closer to him, "This is for my sister!" He impaled the creatures eye with the claw he had with him. It began to scream out off pure agony, he pushed it further as black fluid began to squirt out off it's eye and stream down the claw covering his hands with it. It went straight through its skull, he pulled it out and impaled the other one too. The creature stepped back, but Abel wasn't done with this creature. He stood up up and pulled the claw with him. The creature had become blind, as he looked straight at him but didn't reach out for him. The black fluid began to form a pool under the creature. Abel lifted the claw above his head and used all his force as he pressed the claw through the animals chest. The animal began to scream, as he slowly pushed the claw down splitting the creatures body in two. It stumbled back before it fell down. Abel kept watching the creature for another full minute, as his breath slowed down. He couldn't believe it, he had killed the creature. Splashes off blood of the creature were on his face and clothes.

He slowly backed away grabbing his gun of the ground and ran towards his bike, jumped on and drove away as fast as possible panic was in his head, 'what if others off them had heard it's screams, he would be a dead man standing.' He drove as fast as he could, leaving that stupid town behind him. Even when the sun slowly went down, he didn't see it. The dark ashes making it impossible to tell how late it was. His arm was aching and burning, but he kept going. In the end stopping by a old left water mile that hadn't been in use for a long time. No traces of a living being that had been here. This time he took the bike inside before he closed the door. It was almost completely dark. He threw the bike against the wall before he fell back, his whole body aching of the hit against the wall.

Abel slit his backpack of his back and began to search through it, he grabbed the first aid box, did his jacket off and laying it in his lap, seeing that the wound was bigger as expected, the whole jacket sleeve was full of his blood. He reached out to the box and opened it, he grabbed a bottle full of alcohol and did the cap off. He pressed a cotton ball against he opening and turned it fast up and down. The cotton ball filled it self with the alcohol, he turned the cap on it again before laying it back in the box. Another flow of blood came out off the wound. He rolled the other jacket sleeve in a ball and pushed it in his mouth. His arm shivered as he putted the cotton ball against the gaping wound. He wanted to scream, but only soft sounds left through the jacket sleeve in his mouth. Tears streamed down his face as he went further up the wound, biting down on the sleeve. A big breath left through his nose as he had cleaned the wound. But doing this wouldn't be enough the wound wouldn't heal by it self, it was to wide. His flesh had to get together again to make it form a crust. He grabbed bandages and pressed the wound shut before he began to wrap it tight around his upper arm, he wrapped the bandages few times around it before he tore it up and did some tape around it to keep it in place. He sighed as he threw the jacket off him. He would need to find a new one... again. The sound of water streaming by made him relax as the complete darkness got around him. He just ran out off water so he could use his water filter to fill his bottles with it and had enough for the week. He couldn't help but to fall asleep for the first time as the water sounds reassured him of home by the sore, that now was deep on the the ocean floor. Maybe tomorrow he would find his brother.

A crack was heard and he immediately was wide awake. It was outside off the mile, walking around it. He did his dirty jacket on and stood up slowly, did his backpack on and grabbed the claw and the bigger gun, just to be sure. He could always still shoot through their eyes and kill them with the claw. He had to find a sword or something like that, it would be much easier to to hold it or even use it. He pushed the door open, and stepped in the long grass. It rustled as he stepped through it. He could hear the sound getting closer but not seeing where it came from.

Another crack was heard making abel turn around pointing his gun at it and there stood the first living human he had seen after it happened. It was young adult, with brown hair and eyes, fair white skin and had an army jacket on. He lowered his gun as he saw the fear in the boys eyes. "D-did you kill that t-thing?" The guys clothing was ripped, he could see that the guy was on bare feet. He didn't trust it, it hasn't been light for long and for sure he had driven at least 8 kilometres before he had stopped. Going through forests in the dark was a dead road if your alone and didn't have anything on you.

Abel looked a bit better at the eyes and saw a white glaze in his eyes. He loaded his gun and pointed it at the guy and shot without feeling regret. The bullet going straight through his eye making it explode, before it left through the behind of its head. He saw him stumble before it fell back. Abel slowly got closer and poked it with the gun, no reaction. A pool of black fluid spread across the concrete.

His feeling was true, it was one of those creatures transformed into a human, probably the last one that was it's victim. He was right they were onto him. The only sounds around him were the wind blowing through the reed and the watermill cracking as it slowly turned. He had to get further. Others of them would be here soon. The river got his attention back, right he had to get fresh water. Abel looked around before he went down the bank off the small river and grabbed his empty bottles and the water filter. He did the water filter in front of the opening. The water slowly streamed in as the dirt particles stayed in the filter. As he was done with filling the water bottles he quickly finished an opened can and hid it in the mud. Before he went on his bike and began to cycle as hard as possible...

 

***

 

England: 201?-?-0? 8 pm

As soon as the first high tone had gone over his land making almost everyone disappear out of no where, Arthur had taken the job on him to make contact with the mainland of Europe, first trying to contact any army bases in the countries the closest to him on the mainland. First the Netherlands: no reaction, Belguim and Luxembourg: only crack and high pitched tones, France: a low frequency that was horrifying. He lost his hope that he could get contact with the mainland of Europe. His last hope was Germany, so he sent the same message to them as he had done to the others. There was a long silence before he heard his radio crack, "Germany to United kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland, don't come to zhe mainland I repeat don't come to the mainland!" He couldn't believe it, it was Ludwig, he was alright. "What's wrong Germany?" He could hear the panic and the others in his voice "There unknown gaint black creatures that kill humans, no one had survived a attack of them yet, they won't die if you shoot them!" He wanted to ask something more but he suddenly heard a window break through the radio. "Oh got Nein!" He could hear Ludwig leave the chair and began to run, he heard glass being broken under the heavy weight off something, heavy low breaths were heard through the radio, something sharp was being dragged against the wall "Bruder get out off here!" A high pitched scream was heard as bullets were fired. He could hear stuff falling on the ground and wood being smashed. "Run, run, run!" He heard a low growl before it went silent only a monotone voice saying "You lost connection with station: Dresden." He did his headphone off, laying them on his table. He was speechless he wasn't even there but he felt the shivers run down his back. He wasn't going to watch, how Europe would slowly be pulled to it's end, he was going to help them. He had to save them, he would go there with the first boat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I already had this chapter I could upload it right away. In a Week I'll have a 2 week vacation so uploads will maybe become more frequent. The same with the other chapter, I hope you'll enjoy reading it.
> 
> Featured this chapter:  
> Sweden: Berwald  
> Finland:Tino  
> Sealand: Peter  
> England: Arthur  
> Switzerland: Basch  
> Liechtenstein: Elise  
> Netherlands: Abel

Finland tried to smile at Sealand, but sealand could see that he was distressed, Tino could never hide his emotions well. A hand went through his hair as Tino patted his head. But he didn't know the reason why Tino was trying to keep him distracted. Playing games, colouring in colourbooks, watching films, but he didn't see Sweden anywhere. He had gone in the basement to work on something he had said. He could see Finland jump up when they heard a sharp like sounds against their outside wall "it are the branches."

"Berwald are you done?" His voice cracked, it sounded nervous. At that moment Sweden walked in with several guns that had laid in the basement for a long time. "Had to fix 'm." He just didn't get it, why did Berwald have guns and why was Tino acting so strange? He tossed a big revolver towards Finland who managed to catch it with his shivering arms. The sharp knive like sound was heard again making Tino stand up and loading the gun, before he said something to Berwald what he couldn't hear but he could hear the fear in it. Sweden grabbed the side of Tino's head and pushed a piece off hair behind his ear and said something back. His emotionless self but a bit nervous voice, like something bad was going to happen. Sealand looked up "What's wrong?" He saw both off them look his way before Finland got his normal smile back "Nothing sweety, just continue with drawing." There was a long silence before he went further with colouring a boat. The only sound was his pencil against paper.

The sound of window breaking was heard. It made him look up, he saw fear run up Tino's whole body. Sweden looked at Finland before he nodded and slowly went downstairs. Tino grabbed Peter by his hand as they went to the other side of the upper floor. Making his drawing and pencil fall on the ground. He didn't understand it, they were hiding something from him, like he was in danger. But he's not a small child that needs protection he can fend for himself! "I know something's wrong, what's it!" Finland looked at him the fear coming off him while he tried to smile but it didn't work this time. Another crash was heard from downstairs. It made Tino all the more nervous fastening towards a big window and opening it. The cold wind began to stream inside the room making Peter shiver. Tino did his head out off the window as he looked around for something. He saw the car and big foot prints in the snow that had went around the house several times. They had seen a creature few days ago walking 10 kilometres from their home and now it was in the house downstairs. Without any explanation Sealand was grabbed by Finland who jumped out off the window. The snow broke their fall and cracked, Peter had no time to get over the fear of jumping out off the window as Tino began to rush towards the car. As soon as he stood up from the fall in the soft snow, pulling Sealand with him. Guns shots were heard before they heard glass shatter.  
Berwald was thrown through the window with a deep wound on his chest as he hit a tree making him fall down. "Berwald!" Tino turned his head around as he ran further away from the house with Sealand almost not able to keep up. Fear was clearly visible on Finland's face as he saw the snow around Berwald began to get a colour of red as blood streamed out off him. With a shaking hand Tino opened the car and putted Peter in the behind seat before he threw the car door shut and began to run towards Berwald, forgetting about the creature. Peter putted his hands against the glass and looked in shock towards Sweden. Sweden groaned as he got up grabbing his chest before he screamed "Turn around now! Bullets don't work on it!" It made Finland stiffened precisely in the middle off the car and Berwald. "Go away, bring him in safety! I'll hold him off!" Tears began to form in Tino's eyes "I won't leave you alone!" As he set more steps forward. "Why won't you listen, I said go! Or it will have us all!" He could hear the fear in Sweden's voice.

"B-But.." Finland looked with his face full off tears towards Sweden who looked back in furry. "GODDAMMIT! I said leave NOW!" Finland slowly started to take steps back as his sobs became louder before he turned around and ran towards the car. Where Sealand had watched it all, he was horrified off the big gaping wound in Sweden's chest. A hard growl was heard and a big black creature came through the window, grabbing the edges of it before, going towards Sweden who held his gun at it before he shot it in his eyes.  
The creature fell back in the house.

It gave Berwald enough time to run, run even though his chest hurted. A blood trail followed him. Finland had already jumped behind the steering wheel and was trying to start the car. But it didn't "Come on, not now." The creature came back through the window, it was still blind but it smelt the blood trail Sweden was leaving behind. At last the car's engine started, Sealand crying and shivering in the back. It was that creature they hid for him. Sweden got closer to the car, Finland's hope rose and waited, but it was for nothing. The creature lashed his long claws around Berwalds leg which made him fall and it pulled him back. "BERWALD!" Finland cried out wanting to get out off the car. "LEAVE!" Sweden screamed as it was holding the creatures head away from his face with his gun. It broke Finland's heart, but he had to get Sealand out of here and if he got out now, Sealand and him wouldn't survive. He kicked his feet against the gas paddle. The cars behind wheels began to the turn in the snow it didn't make any movement. It didn't help that Peter was crying out off fear. Suddenly a push was felt against the car making it get loose and accelerate fast making Tino almost lost control over the vehicle. He turned just in time before he would ride against a big tree. It had been Sweden who had pushed the creature against it.

Sweden sighed as he saw the car disappearing in the distance, atleast they were safe. Tino didn't look back as he began to fasten the car over the snowy road, he could hear Sealand sob in the back "Sw-weden..." he now felt sorry for everytime he had snarled at him. Tino grabbed the steering wheel harder in between his fingers, he had to get out off here as fast as possible. As he looked in his mirror he saw that Berwald had gotten up and had poked the creatures eyes out before he ran off in the forest. Where the creature slowly walked in following the blood sent. He was still alive but for how much longer would he be? He already had lost a big quantity of his blood. "He's still alive, he's still alive, he's still alive..." Tino began to say repeatedly.

He had no idea where he had to go, but if Sweden would survive he would go towards Norway. The person the closest to them, but he didn't know if he had survived as those creatures, allready could have been there.

When the high tone had went over them few weeks ago, they were having a skype call with Denmark who said where he was with Norway. The loud Dane was low key annoying the Norwegian. It was high up in Norway close to the the Swedish border. In a place he didn't precisely remembered the name off. Since when he was midthrough with saying the name as the connection was suddenly lost a few minutes before the high tone came making them all loose consciousness. He then remembered they are close to the Norwegain border. He had to get to Norway's house, to find shelter and wait for Sweden if he would ever survive. After all being together was safer as alone. 

***

"Sir are you really sure you want to leave, you've heard what's going on there. It's dangerous!" He had no time for this chit chat. People's life where depending off this. The general was looking at him nervous. He could see he really didn't want to go. "Why won't you listen to me, people are dying out there, people we can save! It our duty to safe them." He hit the table with his fist as he stood up "And no one here is trying to even help them even if we have enough man power and ships!" He looked at the left over generals that had survived the high tone. Their army had shrunken immensely but they weren't trying to help the others. If he wouldn't get help off his army he would just go to Europe himself, with the already running ships that picked up survivors at the coastal areas. The coastal areas had changed immensely, he feared that the lower laying nations hadn't survived this. Whole Denmark had disappeared under the water and half of Belguim and only a small part off the Netherlands still being left. Germany sure also suffered a big loss off land but he knew Ludwig had survived, atleast the rising sea leaves, he didn't know if he was alive now. Even though France was the closest he wouldn't take a ship to their, marines already had inspected the coastal areas and had spotted big hoards off the black creatures Ludwig had warned him about. The further up they went less creatures were seen.

"If you guys won't help me I'll go to Europe by myself. Cause I deep down know that you plan on staying isolated like the whimps you are, generals that don't even do their job, saving people's lives." They didn't respond to Arthur's frustration. They all were scared off those big creatures, spotted in France since they couldn't be killed by guns. "As I expected." He threw the door shut behind him hard as he walked away, if he couldn't count on them he would do it alone. Nothing could stop him, his desire to know if they were still alive fed, on him like a beer would feed himself on honey in a tree. The guilt growing bigger on his back the longer he was here. They off course didn't understand it, they never understood him. The many years he had lived, nobody really understood him, they did like they did, but that was never. The determination in him to help others as he was on the side line was big, it felt like world war 2 all over except it was now a battle against an unknown source. "Don't worry Europe I'll be on my way."

***

3 hours after the high tone  
Location:Switzerland  
Local time: unkown

"Big brother, I got you something to drink." She looked at her brother with her big green eyes. Switzerland stared down as he stopped with hammering nails into the wooden planks he was putting over the windows. "What did I tell you about going outside without my permission, it's dangerous." She immediately looked down he had told her to stay inside, but she felt lonely and big brother must have been thirsty off working so hard. Her knees touched one another and her toes touched the other. He sighed as he got down off the stairs and patted her head, "it's kind that you thought off me, but don't come outside without me being by your side." She gave him the glass which he drank in one go, he whipped the excess water off his mouth. "But you're now with me, so can I stay outside a little longer." She looked at him with pleading eyes as she held onto the sleeve of his jacket. He turned his head away but he still felt her eyes on him. "Fine, but don't go any further as 6 metres (20 feet) from me." He saw sparkles form in her eyes, before she walked away and sat her self in the grass and began to pick flowers.

She was so innocent, he didn't want to ruin It, yet the feeling that was inside off him tells something really bad is going to happen, can't explain it even Liechtenstein had asked him why she had to stay inside. He doesn't know what, but he's taking measurements, that high tone was the final trigger to start barracading his house. Dark clouds out off the South began to appear they looked darker as any heavy stormcloud would look, making him get back to reality, he had to hurry. He was only done with a half off the windows. As the outside was done he would do the inside as well. He grabbed another plank of wood and grabbed a few nails doing them partly in his mouth, as he began the hit one off the nails in plank making the wood part a bit when he hit the nail in the wood.

As he was done with covering the windows, he went inside right away with Liechtenstein. Before he went to his shed and grabbed the wood that he would need to cover the windows on the inside as well. Before he locked his door behind him to not be opened for a long time. The darkness had filled his ground floor, no light came inside except for a few lonely lines where the wood didn't touch eachother. But the natural light of the sun wasn't as strong as it had been, the black clouds only let a small percentage through. He walked inside and dropped the hammer in the hallway before he strolled in the Living room and sat himself in his couch and slit down, his whole body hurting. He looked at the blank television screen, 'we don't have a connection anymore' He remembered, as soon as he had woken up, he had tried to call Germany if he knew what was going on but the only sound his phone made was "connection lost please try later again." His eyelids began to feel heavy against his will. Maybe closing his eyes for a few minutes would make him feel better. "Big brother I have made dinner." Elise said happily as she walked in the living room seeing her brother lay in the couch exhausted. He smiled at her as he pushed himself up while groaning a bit and tiredly walked to the kitchen with her. Her hands were behind her back as she followed him. "It's not much, but I tried my best." His eyes widened a bit, his favourite dish stood there Rostï. She always knew how to cheer him up. He sat himself down slowly. "Thank you Elise, it looks delicious," she felt flattered by his words, even though he always complimented her. She sat herself down also before she began to eat. It was rather quiet as they ate, Basch being to tired to say anything and Elise not knowing what to say, or rather not daring to say a thing. But her curiosity getting the better of her, "Big brother what's wrong, why did you put wooden planks on the Windows?" Basch looked at her before his eyes looked down again and took another bite of his Rostï. "I have the feeling something bad is going to happen, I just don't know what or when. But don't worry I'll be here to protect you." Her heart began to beat a bit harder in her chest, she looked worried at her brother. Unlike the other countries, micronations couldn't feel if something was going to happen they relied on the bigger nations for that information. It made her drop her fork, it had to be really bad, otherwise he wouldn't have covered the windows. "Liech don't worry I'll always be there to protect you.."

***

"Do you really have to go outside?" Liechtenstein looked worried at her brother, he had said that he would always be there to protect her, but how could he as he was outside? Basch walked passed her grabbing few guns and doing them around his belt and he held a big hunting gun in his arms. Their provision has started to shrink, if he wouldn't go to find some, they would run out quickly, starving was not an option. "I'll be back before you know it," his hand went through her hair, "trust me..." The guns rattled around his middle as he grabbed a average backpack he had. She followed him to the front door, not wanting to leave his side. As he opened the front door the normal clean was now air filled with black dust particles were blown inside. It made him straight away cough. "Wait!" He stopped turning himself around, seeing Liechtenstein run away. He could hear her open a drawer and shoving things aside, before she returned with a moutmask and hugged him hard. "Be save." He held her close before he slowly let go. He putted the mouth mask on, looking back at her one last time "I will, only open the door if you hear three knocks." He smiled before he closed the door behind him.

As he left it was still early, which meant he would have some more time before it would get dark again. The town he was heading to was only one mile away. Maybe he could ask about this strange thing as he was there. He didn't know what had happened only the sky was the thing he had noticed changing, even if he lived in a rural area. The clean sky was known for was far gone now, also to speak about the landscape, once full off flowers, green grass and healthy pine trees was now just a black mountains lining the On the horizon as far as he looked dead plants met his eyes, the cows laying dead in the fields as the fences fell apart. Probably from ventilating the air in, 'poor animals' he thought. His feeling was getting worse, there was something horribly wrong. Like something was following him between the pitch black trees. Yet he heard nothing. He grabbed his gun and loaded it, you never knew what is could be. The sand under his feet was cracking under his feet. Still nothing had appeared in his vision, weird normally atleast he would come across a shepherd standing in the fields or walking on the road to a new field with his exciting dogs and greeting him properly.

As he had reached the village, he was speechless, is was completely abandoned, no one there, the cars standing still on the middle off the roads, the shop door standing open and a rotting smell coming from them. Dust was blown in front off his feet. He slowly entered the streets, his feeling got even worse if he didn't had to get food he would have left immediately. The further he went the more sucipicous he got, something isn't right. He heard glass being shattered, as Basch turned around he only saw a glimpse off a shadow going around the corner. "WHO'S THERE!" He lifted his shot gun and pointed to the corner, no one came around the corner. Like a normal human would do. He lowered his gun, his mind just had made it up, he thought. But he was now fully aware of his surroundings not missing any details. The signboards cracked as they swung in the wind. Even though everyone was gone the houses were in a good state, nothing broken off no broken glasses, only the walls being stained with stripes. He sighed "come on Basch, it's just in your imagination, no one is here, everyone is gone." He looked one more time where the shadow had disappeared, before he turned himself around and straight away walked to the grocery store he always used to go to.

As he walked in He was a bit shocked, it just like everyone had vanished into thin air, without leaving any trace off leaving the town. There still stood shopping cards with shopping items in them against the shelves. Even a baby toy was laying few feet away off one card. A check still hanging by the cash register, with a shopping card full off groceries in plastic shopping bags. It made him more alert as he walked towards the canned goods shelf, it felt like he was in a horror movie where a monster would come around the corner just before he would leave the store. It made him want to leave even more and get back to Liechtenstein. He opened his bag and began to grab whatever canned product he could find, in the end leaving with 40 cans and pots in his backpack. He wasn't even going to pay no one was even here to check him if he did. He didn't give the store any last looks as he left, he closed the door that had stood up as he had gotten in, making the bell ring one last time.

  
Just as he had gotten out off the town, he heard again something again he looked around seeing something beginning to run at him. At first it was just a black spot but soon it came clear that it wasn't any normal human or animal. As it came closer he saw that it wasn't even a car but a gaint creature running towards him like wolves would do. He quickly aimed at it and shot several times, it didn't even show any pain. He lowered his gun before his fear took over and made him run, run like he had never done. He began to run up the hill as he still was few hundreds metres ahead off it. But that distance became smaller with every step he took. His lungs began to hurt, screaming at him to stop, but he wouldn't. With less then 200 hundred metres he had run the black creature was almost on his heels. He heard the breath behind him, the claws scrapi against the stones.  
As a turn came he just managed to dodge his claws, only his tunic being torn at his elbow. But the creature was soon again in his neck and a big hit threw him over the fence landing in the grass, the dust particles rising up making the green grass show that was beneath it. But he had no time to look at It. His body aching and hurting from the hit against the hard ground, but he had to run. If he wanted to lose it he would have to reach the hidden river with a deep cliff as base. He pushed himself up and ran further, the fence giving him some more time to get further from the black creature. Every muscle hurting asking him to stop to take a rest, his survival instinct wouldn't let him though. The river wasn't that far just around hundred metres from where he was.

  
He never had seen such a thing, he even wondered where it had come from. The claws as big as words yet so sharp as knives. The rest he hadn't seen but it was black and big. It again hit him, making him tumble and roll further. It could have killed him but the hit was so that only his legs were hurted. He couldn't get up all his muscles locking him into place. He layed on his stomach not seeing clear. It got closer and it looked and sniffed him before it carefully grabbed him between his jaws and picking him up. He felt the teeth slowly going into his skin, making him groan, the creature began to run with Basch in his mouth straight towards the river. His body just hang there not protesting, as it was to painful to move with blood slowly going on the teeth. He could hear hard and aggressive breaths, where was it taking him? It jumped over the river but the ground under his feet disappeared as he landed. The creature desperately trying to grab something to hold onto. But it fell with his back first in the hard streaming water. It pulled him under the water, it was grabbing around him but not getting up, it couldn't swim Basch thought. His survival instinct kicked in as he began to kick the creature to make it let go off him. It didn't work, his lungs began to scream for air, he began to struggle with his belt as he grabbed his knive and stuck it as fast in the creatures eye. It opened his mouth immediately making the teeth go out off his flesh. He kicked it another time to push himself up. Basch's arms hitting around as he got above water, struggling to keep himself up, with his hurting legs, fighting the pain as he began to swim towards the edge and grabbing onto a big stone before he pulled himself out. His heart racing in his chest. He stared at the river for some time, the creature never came up.

  
He didn't wait a minute, leaving immediately climbing up, he had to get to Liechtenstein, she would be worried about him. She could be in danger.  
It had started to get darker when he was home, she looked utterly shocked as she had seen him. Right away she caught him as he fell down exhausted. He didn't remember more than that, his world had gone black that moment.

His vision was blurry when he woke up in his bed groaning a bit off the light surroundings coming in his vision. He shook his head a bit as his vision got better over time. His neck wouldn't allow much movement. He slowly turned his head a bit seeing Elise by his side, sleeping in a chair close to the head off the bed. Her head hung down and a small book in her hands as she breathed softly. He groaned as he pushed himself a bit up to have a better look around him, it was his room. 'How had she brought me up here?' The plants in his room were still blooming, the last living plants he had seen. On his right he could see the sky, it was just as dark as before. The curtains hanging to the side letting the little natural light in. He looked down seeing his bare chest and his torso was completely wrapped in bandages. 'she had cared for me' a soft smile got on his face. She really cared for him, her love was unconditional, she would go where he would go. Another groan came out off him when he moved his hips a bit. It was just loud enough to wake her up. Her eyes lazy looked at him, before widening. Tears began to form in her eyes as she ran out of her chair and hugged him hard making him close his eyes and breath in between his teeth. "I thought I had lost you..." She sobbed, the tears streaming down before being absorbed by his bandages. He closed his eyes, the only thing that mattered To him was her. If she's happy he's happy. He had to protect her, keep her safe of any danger. His hand went on her head softly pushing her head against his chest and the other hand going around her waist. He felt her shiver against him as sobs filled the room, her small hands grabbing onto him for dear life to never let go again. He began to slowly pat her head feeling her soft hair that he had known for a long time. "I'll never leave you."

His wounds healed slowly, but he was glued to his bed, relying more on Liechtenstein to take care of him. It broke his heart, he should be the one caring for her not the other way around. But his body just wouldn't allow him to move more then 10 metres at a time before they would just lock him into place making him fall down on the floor in pain. She would place him in a chair close the window so he could look out over the landscape, giving him atleast the idea that he could warn her atleast as something came their way.

***

Basch rushed his way to the toilet, even when his muscles began to shut down, making fall in the bathroom. It had happened a few times now, his stomach hurting tremendously. He pulled himself towards the toilet. It felt like something was kicking in his stomach, his body began to shake before he threw up. As he looked down his eyes began to shiver, a feeling of fear filled him, it was the third time this week he had coughed up blood. Not red, but dark brown. It made him want to puke again. He flushed the toilet as he heard Liechtenstein running up the stairs. "Brother, are you alright!" His head slowly fell off the toilet seat, before he laid it beside him and stared at the bottom of the toilet without any expression. "Yeah, just a small stomach ache again." He would never tell her, he didn't want her to worry or know.

He thought it was just those would be the only moments, he was wrong. It began to happen more often and the blood had coloured black.

It was after he had puked again, some had gotten on his shirt. He had to wash it immediately, he lifted his shirt over his head. He looked at the mirror, making him step back and drop his shirt. His skin turning black where the creature had bitten him. He slowly got closer to the mirror, looking at himself. He looked in the mirror when he touched the spot. "No, this can't be happening." He could hear his own fear and stress in his voice. He had to put a hand in front off his mouth to make Elise not able to hear him as he began to sob. "What do I have to do... It will break her heart, if she finds out." A white glaze was forming in his eyes. He was turning into one off them. "What if I kill her..." it made him grab his hair in his hand and grabbing it hard between his fingers. "No I won't let that happen." He pressed his hands down hard on the sink. "But if I'm gone she won't survive long." He couldn't tell her, but if he didn't he would feel so bad. It slowly spread across his torso. He didn't know what to do. If he wouldn't find a solution soon, he would be gone and she would be killed by him. The thought that he would kill her was what made him not able to sleep in the night.

Sweating if he did to wake up to a nightmare. A nightmare where he sees Liechtenstein holding her arms in front of her bleeding ribcage, breathing softly. His shadow dooming over her before he went down and would bit her head off. He couldn't handle it any longer. She had to get away from him, before it would be to late.

*** 

Liechtenstein was sitting in her brother's room where he was laying in his bed, reading in a poembook. It had been quite, the plants hanging soft not of not enough water but the shortage off sunlight. The windows had turned a bit black of the dust stuck to it. She was staring at the only road going past her house, hoping something other than dead plants would come by. But she had lost her hope a long time ago. She sighed and looked to her brother, she gave him a small smile he only looked up before faking one back. She turned towards the window and shifted a bit in her chair.

Something caught her eyes, something was moving in the distance. She first thought it it was just a big bundle off dead plants coming their way. Just being blown by the wind over the road. As it go closer, she saw it wasn't some plants, but...

"A PERSON!" it made Basch almost jump up in his bed throwing the book in the air and making it clatter on the ground. "A PERSON IS COMING THIS WAY!" Both didn't believe it, Elise her eyes and Basch his ears. He hadn't seen anyone, it must be illusion. She got out off the chair and putted her head and hands against the glass. "WHAT! Let me see!" She had completely forgotten about her brother that moment. He already had moved himself to the edge his arms stretching out for support. She looked at him before she looked back through the window and back to him. She left the window and went towards his side. As she was there he was already sitting on the edge laying one arm around her shoulder and her other arm going around his waist. He was moving with pain towards the window, groaning a bit, but he had to see this. She putted him in the chair and putted it bit closer to the window. He saw it now himself, it had gotten closer, it was riding something. Maybe it would stop at their house and could take Liechtenstein with him. But he didn't know of He could trust this person. His hope was cut short as he saw another pitch black spot appear in his vision. It was much faster as the person on the vehicle. It was one off them...  
"Elise, look away." He knew what was about to happen, it would be killed just like it tried with him. She looked at him confused, why should she look away, if a person came to their rescue. "Why brother?" She followed the person until he disappeared behind a hill. "I said look away." She turned herself around, while he lifted himself a bit in the chair when the other black spot disappeared behind the hill. Disappearing out off his vision. She stepped away and grabbed the poembook off the ground and read the poem that was on that page.

_Even if everything turns black,_  
_There is still a spot in my heart,_  
_That will take me back,_  
_To the sweet moments we had,_  
_And you'll always be by my side,_  
_Even if the world may turn bad,_  
_You'll be my light guide,_  
_Through my darkest nights._

"Come on whomever you are make it towards the house." She looked at him, it felt like the writer had seen this happening. She wanted to look but her brother told not to so she wouldn't.

He breathed out again when he saw the person appear over the hill close to their home, only 50 metres left. The person was on a bike he could see and was cycling for it's life. But the creature was now only a 10 metres behind him. It wouldn't take that long before it would jump out to him. It was in front off his house that the creature hit the person off the bike making him roll over the grass. His bike was thrown across the road. He couldn't see the person's face since it had a motorhelmet with black glass in front off his face. It made him come away with no injuries to his face or any damage. The person grabbed towards a gun around his belt and pointed it with a firm grip towards the creature like he wasn't fearing it.

"He's going to die..." Basch mumble, he had tried the same, which hadn't shown any affect on it. It made Elise look up from the book and looked at her brother, she couldn't hold her curiosity anymore and walked over settling herself behind the chair. Basch almost fell out off the chair as he was trying to follow the person as good as possible. "What's that thing?" He looked around seeing Elise beside him in the window. "Didn't I say you had to look away! Whatever it's now to late. I'll tell you later."

The creature got closer to the person laying on his back, still holding the gun pointed at it. Like he was waiting for the perfect moment to shoot. "That creature also attacked me... he's not going to make it." The creature was almost bent over the person, his teeth shining from the little light there was. "We've to help him!"

"If we do that we're going to get killed." Elise couldn't watch it anymore, she just couldn't watch a person getting killed in front of her. Just at the moment Basch thought it was done, two shots were heard. The creature began to step back with his claws covering his eyes. Basch didn't understand it, the shots he had fired were useless yet this guy got the creature screaming in pain. "This your time to get away! Just run, run as fast as possible!"

But the person didn't, it stood up slowly, whipping the dust off his arms and legs. Like it was normal to do that if you were escaping a monster. Before it grabbed a long black object the had hung on his belt. Out off Swiss's horror the person approached the creature. "Stupid jerk! You're going to get yourself killed this way!" The person didn't hear him and got closer to the creature. He grabbed his long object and held it with his two hands. He swung it to his behind like a baseball before he swung it right through the creatures torso making the upper part fall off his hips. Black fluid streamed out off the gaping wound. The arms were still moving and his head twitching. The person got closer and putted the long object through its ribcage and turned it. The creature stopped moving and the screams stopped. The person pulled black object out off the creature's chest. He sat a foot on the creatures head and pressed down untill it broke under his force. He took a few steps back to take a look at it. He lifted the helmet a bit up and spit on the creatures crushed head and did his helmet on again. Basch could see the person's chest go up and down quickly as it took another few steps back, before he fell back on his back and not moving anymore. "That's impossible! We have to get him inside now!" Elise looked through the window with her hands still in front off her eyes, looking through her fingers. She turned around immediately when she saw the creature's crushed head and it's body cut in two. Basch lifted himself up, but fell down in his chair again. "Help me, get downstairs." Elise looked at him, "you won't go outside!"

"If we don't go outside our only hope will be killed. So help me downstairs and get him inside." It was true this was the only person they had seen out here and just had killed a creature like that. He didn't care who it was, it was alive and had to be saved. He looked serious at her, he pushed himself up and held Elise by his side as they started to walk down. There is hope for Liechtenstein, this person can protect her, unlike him, he was good for nothing, he was only a burden to her. He hoped he could pursue him to take her with him, he would atleast know that she would be safe then. He had to get the person inside. The stairs went far to slow to his likings, but he couldn't do much about it. He almost began to run when he was downstairs pulling Liechtenstein with him towards the door and throwing it open.

The person only laid a few metres from their front door. He could look at the person more clear now. Theperson was really tall he could see that, it had a backpack on, so he was prepared for a long journey. He wore a dark blue shirt with army green pants. On his upper legs a fresh cut was visible, the blood was still slowly streaming out off it. He didn't care who it was right now getting him inside was the most important thing. He grabbed one off the person's arm and Elise the other and they began slowly to pull the person inside. The hands softly grabbed hold off their sleeves. It was like it was trying to say I'm alive. They got over the threshold off the door and let go off him when he was fully pulled inside. Liechtenstein went away and closed the door again. Basch on the other hand was staring at the helmet. He putted his hands on it and pulled it off...

A familiar stare was looking up at him, his mouth open and taking in deep breaths. He couldn't quite place the face, he had seen him but he had forgotten his name. Liechtenstein bent down just like Switzerland and was looking at the person. His green eyes were shooting from one to the other. "Netherlands?" Basch said, his expression was confused. How had he gotten all the way here? "Is it you?" He tried to speak, but nothing came out off his mouth only cracks of his voice, his hand slowly lifted up and grabbed onto Basch's arm. "Grab some water form him Elise." Liechtenstein got up and ran towards the kitchen. He again tried to speak. But it was to soft to hear, but his hand tightened the grip around his arm. "How did you even survive out there?" He saw Abel grab towards his leg, he clammed his hand around a long thin thing, he slowly lifted it over his chest and handed it him with a shivering hand. He grabbed it out off his hand and looked at it, but how was this his key to survival? He wanted to ask more but Elise came back, with a glass of water. She sat herself down and putted her hand under his head before setting the glass against his lips. He drank it immediately all together. She laid his head down again. "Yes... I'm Netherlands, Switzerland. You don't know how long it took to get to here. But I found you." His other hand grabbed Liechtenstein's wrist. A smile formed on his face as he looked at them. "How many off those things have you met?"

He didn't say anything, but Switzerland felt one finger at a time tap his arm. "Six, all dead now." He set himself up with much difficulty. His hands let go of their wrists. "But I'm planning to leave soon, I have the Idea that they're following me." Basch got a little shocked when Netherlands said that. "Big Bruder shall I grab some bandages?" He saw Abel swallow hard as Elise said that. He just nodded, she stood up again. "You can come with me. You won't survive here much longer." He tried to stand up but fell down again, he groaned and grabbed his leg. "Verdomme, it got my leg. Just like the others, they all grab towards the legs."  
"I know, I was also attacked by one." Abel looked at him in shock, "you survived... How?" Switzerland took a sharp breath in and grabbed towards his side feeling the sharp teeth going into him again. "I was getting supplies, until it ran towards me, hit me, making me land in a grass field. I ran away again but it hit me again in my legs this time, making me fall again and unable to move. Instead off killing me it grabbed me in my torso with his mouth and began to run. My dumb luck was that it fell in a river and I could pierce his eye with a knive off mine making it let go off me."

Liechtenstein came running down with some bandages in her hands with a siccor and some alcohol. "I got the bandages." She wanted to start working on his leg but Abel pushed her away. She didn't understand it, neither did Basch. His leg had to be taken care off otherwise it would become an infection. "Let me do it myself. I've done this enough times to know how it works." Liechtenstein was worried by this statement. How many times did he mean by that. Abel rolled his pipe up showing his lower leg. "Look. It's full off old wounds." If Basch saw it right he saw atleast nine cuts in his lower leg some old, some fairly new. Some even had become scars. "These aren't the worst, the worst one is on my back, I'm almost covered in them." Liechtenstein was shocked by the amounts off wounds that were alone on his left lower leg. "That's what you get when you survive each attack." He sighed. He did his pipe down again and did his jacket off, showing his arms that were also full off wounds. On one arm was a bandage around his bicep. "I see it as survival trophies." None of his skin was black, like his whole chest and stomach. Basch grabbed the black thing in it. "How did you get this, it seems that only this kills them."  
"Found it by dumb luck after climbing out off a ravine, it turned out to be a claw off such creature. I had a sword once but that didn't work so this is my only weapon that works." Basch got a cough attack and turned his head away, catching the blood in his hand and smearing it on his black pants. Abel wanted to stand up, but his leg protested making him fall down again. "Looks like I'm gonna be stuck her some days."

"Mr. Netherlands, what happened to your country?" He turned towards Liechtenstein, her small hands were tangled up in her dress. She was too shy to ask more. "Deep down under the sea. I don't know anymore was by my sister when it happened." He had it hard to hold his emotionless expression as he said sister. They looked at him like they felt sorry for him. "Where's your sister Neth?"

"Don't know she was gone when I got back to consciousness." He lied, he couldn't say that she was dead, when Liechtenstein was around. He knew Liechtenstein had a good relationship with her. "I hope you'll find her soon." Elise said, he felt his eyes becoming a bit watery. But kept the tears away. "I hope to." Why was he saying this, she's dead, he won't find her anymore, his brother was also possibly dead. People said he had dissapeared and hadn't been found anywhere.

***

Netherlands was there for his third day, when he felt that he could move without much diffuculty. His feeling of danger rose he knew they were coming and would arrive here soon. He would leave tomorrow. They could come with him or stay here.

  
"Had anybody else got here?" It was around eleven o'clock in the night. Liechtenstein was already laying in bed trying to fall asleep. Basch and Abel were sitting by the fire place that was the only source off light and heat. "Yes, the Italian brothers. Although Romano had lost half of his left arm. They were on their way to Germany searching a safer place after volcanoes began to erupt saving nothing from their lands. They had asked me if I wanted to come with them and I said no." Abel's hands went around his cup and listen focused to him. The Italian brother were alive then, but he didn't know if they were now.

  
"Well I'm leaving soon and I'm gonna ask you the same question. Do you want to come with me?" He saw Basch look down and grabbed his cup a bit harder. "I'm afraid that's not possible for me. You know how bad I'm able to move around, I'll be a burden and that's not the worst... I'm turning into one off them." He saw Abels eyes widen, he looked down to his cup before he took a sip off it. "Since the attack my bodily functions started to fail and something else replaced them, I don't know what. But I cough up black blood and my body is turning black. And a white glaze is forming in my eyes." He saw Abel look at him, while he took a sip. The wood in The fire place cracked and the flames dancing gracefully. "You want me to take Liechtenstein with me. To care for her and keep her safe."

His words were just stolen out off his mouth, how did Abel know this. "How do you know that is was going to say that?" Abel rolled his eyes. "I would have asked to same if I had been in your position with my sister."

He looked down "Will you, without anything in exchange for it? I'll give you anything to keep her safe."  
"I don't want anything for it" he said. Basch didn't believe what the Dutch said. He knew how he always would want something in exchange for it.  
"I won't plunder a men on his dead bed that is just unrespectful. But there's another reason why I'll do it for free." He saw that his eyes became a bit foggy. He was already happy that Abel would do it. She would sure be safe with him. He had killed six off those creatures and had gotten all the way here. So he would be able to find more if he would go further.

"What is that reason?" Basch said a bit worried. He never really knew the Dutch man but he knew he always kept a promise.

"I had lied about my sister. She's actually dead, I saw how the creature ate her. It will never leave my memory. I just couldn't say it when Liechtenstein was there." He saw the Dutch's eyes began to water. Before a small smile formed on his lips, "The reason why I'll do it, is because Elise, reminds me off her, Bella. It's just like my sister is with me if Elise is around me. It feels like my little sister is here again." Basch almost himself got in tears, maybe Elise would see himself in Netherlands. They have some similarities, being stingy, stubborn, not the most emotional and protective of their sisters and only open to people close to them.

"But I have to ask you for another favour." Abel raised his eyebrow a bit, "What's it?"  
"You've to kill me..." He knew he would be gone not soon after they would leave, but this pain was already unbearable and the idea of turning into one of them isn't what he wants.  
"Why? You sure?" The Dutchman's voice didn't raise a bit. But he got a doubtful look that pierced right through him. "I'm tuning into one off them soon I'll become one and I can't stand the thought that I might come after you and kill both off you. I'm in constant pain, I don't want to suffer any longer." Abel nodded, it was silent for a bit. As he didn't know how to react to this. "You'll have to tell her about your decision, she won't come with me if I just killed you." That was a good point. "She can be there by your side."

"I will..."

***

It was breakfast and he hadn't told her it, he just didn't know how to bring it up. All three off them sat at the table, it was dead silent. Basch couldn't get anything inside. Liechtenstein didn't dare to say something. As Abel chewed on his bread he looked straight at Basch. "You have to tell her." Elise looked up and watched both off them. "What do you need to tell me brother?" She just looked so innocent, too innocent for this world. He grabbed her hand and made eye contact. "You'll leave with Netherlands this morning." She glanced at Abel for a while.

"Aren't you coming with us?" She was so confused, she wouldn't leave his side ever. He was her protector. How was she sure she could trust him.  
"No, it's already to late for me..." one hand grabbed her cheek, a tear began to form in Basch's eye.

"What's wrong then?" Tears were forming in her eyes, he tried to say it but he couldn't just say it to her. Abel coughed a bit getting their attention. "He's turning in one off those creatures..." Abel said it without showing any emotion, he was just eating further. His voice didn't even change. Switzerland turned his head to the side. The paper cracked as Abel was reading to old newspaper off two months ago. How was he able to stay so calm. "He'll take care off you, Elise." He looked up with his watery eyes, he held her face with both off his hands. She looked towards Abel who nodded in silence. "What will happen to you then?"

"He asked me to kill him." Abel had laid the paper aside and had joined the conversation. He saw Elise's eyes widening her hands went in front of her mouth. More tears streaming down, "It's true, Elise. I asked him. I'm in so much pain. That I hid from you."

***

She couldn't still believe it. They had gone upstairs and had laid Basch on his bed she was holding his hand tightly. She just couldn't look towards Abel who was loading his shot gun and checking it to be sure, Basch wouldn't die in much pain. Instead she looked at her brothers face, she saw the white glaze in his eyes. He had shown her his black torso, she couldn't believe that he had hid it from her and this was happening right now. His head was turned towards her with a soft smile on his face as his head lay in the pillow. "I'm ready, take your time." Netherlands had the gun on his shoulder looking down at the emotional scene taking place. He got it hard to keep his straight face and show no emotion "Thank you, Netherlands." His voice had become worst. "Elise, remember I'll always be there even if I'm no more."

Her eyes began to water, it was getting closer "I'll never forget you!" She saw his smile grow on his face, "Come don't cry, I'll never leave you. My edelweiß." She grabbed his hand tighter. "Netherlands, shoot me..." He lifted his gun and pointed it towards his chest. She saw that Abel had it hard, his arms was shivering and his finger trembling as he putted his finger on the trigger. He looked towards Liechtenstein before he turned back to look towards Switzerland. He closed one eye to focus on the place where his heart was, but his gun was moving to much in his shivering arms. "Netherlands just do it..." He saw Basch looking at him in pain. He got his focus back, his finger tightened around the trigger, Elise turned her head away. A shot was heard, it had gone straight through his heart. Abel lowered the gun with a trembling arm, his face was yet emotionless. "Elise, I love you..." She felt his hand loose his strength.

She looked at her brother's face, tears streaming down before she got out off the chair and hugged him tight. He felt one arm going on her shoulder. His breaths got slower and softer. "I love you too..." His hand fell down and his eyes shut to never open again. His shirt was soaking the black blood up. Abel left the room silently, he would grant her some time with him. He himself couldn't believe that he just had killed another personification. A dark feeling got inside off him, something was going to happen... He had to fill his supplies and get away as fast as possible...

"We've got to go" he slammed the door open, where Liechtenstein was still holding onto her dead brother's body. Her cries were soft and filled the room with it. He walked over to here and pulled her away. She began to fight his grip, "I won't leave him behind!" Abel stayed calm and lifted her out off the room. She began to scratch, hit and kick him but he didn't let go off her. "They're coming..." if it wasn't this way he would have stayed here longer for her to have more time with her brother. "You're heartless, let go off me!" A empty glass bottle hid his head from behind. Abel groaned and dropped Liechtenstein on the floor, before he grabbed towards his head. She looked at him in fear. His eyes were closed before he looked at her, "you don't know how I feel!" She began to sob, curling up in a ball. "I lost my sister... she's dead just like him. The difference is I couldn't be there for her."  
He began to tremble and grabbed his hair, before he stopped and looked at her. "You can come with me and survive for him or die here." Elise still stayed in a ball. His hand reached out at her, Her hand trembled before she slit it in his. He pulled her on her feet. "Do you know how to use a gun?" Elise nodded. "Here hold this one always close to you. Always shoot the eyes." She held the gun silently as he walked with her to the front door, she whipped a tear off her face. She looked up at Abel, he was having it hard to keep himself together and not break down in front off her. "Here put it over your mouth, it's to protect your lungs." He went through his knees and his hands putted a mouth mask on her face, his hand disappeared in his pocket and grabbed his goggles and did them over her eyes. He grabbed the helmet he had, and putted it over his head. "Are you ready?" She nodded, it made Abel stand up again and grabbed her hand. The door cracked as he opened it, his backpack was filled to the edge with food and amunition. The black particles flew inside as they stepped over the threshold. Her head lowered to the ground and she looked one more time at the house where she had felt so safe for all her time here. His hand held her's tight "Where are we going, Mr. Netherlands?"

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"Austria..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here I'm again with the third part of the story, the fourth may follow sooner since I still have one week off my holiday left. I hope I have enough inspiration to have it done before my holiday ends. It may come later though.

His hair was blowing in the wind, while Arhur was looking straight at the ocean. No birds interrupting the silent sounds off water hitting the rocks. No cars driving around, only people walking silently around. The sky luring at him the blue sky had disappeared long ago making him wonder how it actually looked. Clouds had never shown up again it was just grey, grey off the still unknown substance. He had seen the ship coming, as he had been sitting in the harbour for quite a while now. He had already packed the things he would take with him. It had people staring at him, for holding a gun in his hand even though he had heard from Germany guns didn't work on them. In that case he had a really old sword with him, it looked quite strange. A person with a sword on his back, holding a gun and a backpack in the other hand.

As the ship reached the new coast line only a few people walked out. It had gotten less by the time. The first time the boats were crowded now almost no person. Most off them looked starved and to his idea looked almost like zombies with their with glazed eyes. He hopped off the bank he was sitting and walked towards the opening but he was stopped by a man with a large mustach. He was a bit taller as him and had a muscular build.

"Sir, we don't take anyone to the mainland." His voice was rough and low making it all the more intimidating.

His eye twitched a bit."I'll bloody hell go there, even if I'll have to swim to it!" No one could stop him, even his own government couldn't. Something deep down told him that he had to move away from here. That something was going to happen here that was even more worse as on the mainland.

"Alright calm down sir! You can come with us." The man sighed before he just turned around and curved his back in while his hands went in his pockets. As he stepped on the boat he could see a doll that was left behind, it had been stepped on and it's arm almost hanging half off. He slowly lifted it up and looked closer to the doll, it's dead eyes staring at his with an never ending smile. It's arms hang back and the blue dress was torn. He dropped it again on the ships floor, not giving it a second look. The water was almost as black as ink, the substances had covered the landscape turning it completely black including the water. The water made the ship swing back and forth while it was making it self ready to get off shore.

There were more people on the ship, he soon found a woman with red curly hair and freckles on her cheeks, who tried to keep the ship clean and functioning. She was a lovely lady who had a big heart. The man was the captain, he was rather harsh and would be constantly trying to make it as quiet as possible. She had warned him about that it looked just like a part you would see in a horror movie. Which it was, as he had seen the first houses from which he had the hope that the sea didn't really destroyed everything. He soon saw it were just the roof tops sticking above the water. The tiles laying uneven and some missing. It was a sad seen. The closer he got to the coast the more terrified it looked, houses half flooded, the windows standing open and crack as the wind made them move slowly. One of the houses even didn't have it's roof tops.

It almost looked peaceful. Scratches on the doors and walls. Everyday stuff laying on top off the water, and being pushed away by the boat. "The lost ones..." he could hear the woman sigh "no one from here survived. They were the ones to be first surprised by the creatures." He looked at the woman while grabbing the edge off the boat. He didn't know what to say, he hadn't expected this. He could see the children here play in front off him, people happily with their family. A ball got passed the boat just like how a ball would roll after being kicked. "You hear the craziest stories, like the one about someone killing those creatures." The woman turned away, "everyone knows these creatures can't be killed, it's just to give people some hope." Well if there was someone that was able to kill such creatures, he would find him. But he didn't know if it was even true about the person. He could atleast try, but it would almost be impossible. The continent was big and dangerous and now hard to get from place to place.

It was after three days that they finally could go on land. He now wasn't sure if he even would want to get on land. The man threw a rope around a half dead tree and began to pull the boat to the shore. He could see some figures appearing out off the houses. They began to walk towards the boat as he got out waving to the woman one last time. As he waved someone bumped into him making him almost fall, "Hey, you. Watch were you're go-" the person turned his head over his shoulder and looked him deep in the eyes before he turned himself completely around. "Angleterre?... What are you doing here!" His locks were dirty yet his eyes were still sparkling. His voice was cracking, his ever lasting uniform still on, with some dirt here and there. It was Francis he never thought he would run into him.

Arthur looked up and down, no bag, no weapon and nothing in his pockets. "How are you still alive? You have nothing on you." People pushed themselves past them towards the ship, they were just blocking their way towards safety. Francis surprised look disappeared as he looked down "luck... Which others didn't have. Spain was just gone I started searching for him but he was just gone. No blood, not even a small note or any trace that he's still alive." Well he now knew he didn't have to go to Spain, he was propably dead anyway. "I didn't survive without any scars." His hand became visible, his pink and index finger were missing. It looked painful as the bone was still visible, but they could atleast handle more pain as normal people.

"Leave go with me to your country there's it atleast safe." Arthur shook his head, as he placed his bag pack on his back. "No, I'm determined to find the other ones or atleast I hope I'll find them." He saw Francis look around him. "It's not worth it they're propably dead." Arthur could have believed him but something told him that they're still alive. Not all off them but some. "I'll go no matter what you say."

"Hey, you.." Francis looked around seeing shipper was yelling at him, "yeah, you in the blue coat, leave with us or stay with crazy eyebrows!" Arthur felt insulted and started to shake his fist "Look at yourself with your mustach!" England turned towards France desparate, "don't leave me, I don't want to loose you..." Francis looked some time between England and the boat, he swallowed. England grabbed his sleeve when Francis took one step back. "Please... don't leave, come with me..."

"Alright I'm coming with you, I'm atleast able to use such a sword." It made anger boil up in him, who did he think he was. He was talking against the the bloody United Kingdom, if someone knows how to use a sword it was him. "You bloody wanker! I'm way better as you with a sword. A potato could even beat you!" As they started to argue, the shipsman made the ship loose and the ship slowly began to drift off. He didn't want to get involved into this.

***

Tino didn't know how long he had driven, but when he stopped he saw by the text that he was in Norway. Peter was shivering in the back, no other word had left him besides _'Sweden_ '. A village appeared in his vision, it wasn't that far, maybe that was the village where Lukas lived. He had stopped at a tank station, he had to get out off the car to tank it. Since the fuel tank was almost empty. He reached for his safety belt when he heard Sealand starting to scream "Don't get out off the car, I don't want to loose you like Sweden!" He gave a small smile back. It almost wasn't visible just his corner got a bit up. He saw the tears stream down his cheeks, his hand reached out for Peter who grabbed it hard not letting him go. "Peter... I'll be fine." He didn't let go off Finland's hand, too scared off what had happened at their home. The place where he thought he was safe, where nothing would happen and could forever live with Finland and Sweden. "Peter let go." His voice got a bit more demanding making Sealand swallow, but his little hand still held Finland's hand tight. "NO, never!"

"It will only take few minutes...and if I don't go out we'll be stuck here." He felt Peter's hand started to loosen around his. "Come back fast, please..." Finland's hand slit away from his, while the other one opened the door. He nodded "I will." His first foot got out off the car, making the snow crack under it, showing the whitness off the snow. He was going to make it quick, this was not the place where he wanted to be. He actually didn't want to be anywhere, just at his for the high tone home safe from all the danger. His hand shivered a bit off the cold that was known for this area. His grabbed the tub for the kind off fuel they needed opened the opening to the tank. The fuel started to stream out off the tub as he heard a crack in the woods behind him. His head turned around, there was nothing visible. Those creatures had so much advantage with their colour that no one would see them until it was to late. He started to lean from one feet to the other one. He heard something crack again, his eyes went to the right. It was getting closer. "Come on, hurry up." He whispered, one hand grabbed towards his door so if something came out he could straight away get back in the car. When he heard a crack again, some relieve was felt in him, it was just a deer. Wait, if a deer has survived here, than there couldn't be any off those gaint creatures. His hand left the door handle.

His tank was full. Making him put the tub away in the rack. He saw Peter looking scared at him as he began to walk towards to the tank station's shop. His hands went on the window hitting it to get his attention back. But he knew the creatures weren't here and they hadn't eaten in a really long time. He hoped there were still some protein or candybars at the shop off the tankstation. It wasn't the most healthiest but atleast there was some energy in those. The door cracked while it was opened. No one had been here, everything still laid on the place it was supposed to lay. There had been animals inside since some off the fruit had bite marks in them. But those weren't fresh anymore, making a rotting smell fill the whole station. He putted his fingers on his nose as he walked towards the shelf where the candybars laid on. He looked some time before he grabbed all the grain cookies, those atleast had something healthy in them. He also grabbed some fruitbars and a couple off water bottles before he left the shop. He saw Peter looking at him still as scared as before. He sat himself inside and threw a water bottle with a grain cookie at Peter. He was able to catch it, he looked confused at Tino.

"Eat up, you must be hungry." Tino himself opened one off the packages before he took a big bite off it. They hadn't eaten for two days so this was something his stomach was happy with. The cookies were surprisingly good, they didn't tast bland but a sweet taste was on them. He heard the package crack behind him meaning Peter had opened it. He already did the car keys in the lock turning the motor on, the tank was full meaning he had precisely poured enough fuel in the tank. The car made growling sounds as the engine started to turn. He heard satisfied sounds behind him. Well atleast someone was enjoying his food. He opened the bottle and drank some big gulps. He took a deep breath and whipped the excess water off his mouth. He could hear Peter drink in one go, since they hadn't drunken something in one day. They had found one bottle in the car the other day but nothing more. He did his seatbelt on again and slowly started to drive the car from the tankstation. The town really wasn't that far away anymore. The car started to accelerate "Where are we going to?" That was right he hadn't told Peter where they were going to. "To Norway's house, if I can find it."

"I hope they're alright." He looked back in the mirror towards him, Peter was eating his last cookie. "Me too..." Peter made a fist to crumble the paper up before he putted in a side shelf off the car door. Tino drove slowly not wanting to make any sound. In his heart he hoped the rest was okay and that only Sweden was missing. His heart wouldn't be able to handle it if one off the others was gone or dead. He wanted to have them in his arms and never let go off them again. It was silent in the car making the cracking off snow hearable.

As they drove through the streets, Tino even went slower. Sure to not miss the slightest movements. It was dead silent the streets, too silent for Tino's likings. He recognised some parts off this town so he was in the town Lukas lived in. So maybe he would find the house that was easily recognizable with the blue and white strips. Nothing was on the streets and the houses just stood there silent, no person sitting behind the windows. Tino turned the car to the right, his heart sank when he saw the door off Lukas's house open. Had that creature already been here, since there was no blood or any footsteps. No lines off the claws. Right after he parked the car he opened the door, grabbed his gun and ran out off it straight to the front door. He left Peter behind who also stepped out following Tino. Tino stopped at the door, he now saw that that the door just and on the bottom hinge. Everything was thrown off the walls. The cupboards being thrown on the floor, papers laying across the floor. There was no blood but he still didn't like this. Peter was now standing beside him, looking the same as him.

Something had happened and Tino didn't like the feeling he had about this. He swallowed hard before he stepped inside over one off the cupboards. He walked through the hallway and in the living room which looked exactly the same. Everything was off the wall, shards of glass laying across the room. The cabinets had been pulled open and everything pulled out. It looked like someone has been here and searching for a specific thing since the most valuable stuff still was there. Peter walked closely to him, his hands holding tight onto his trousers as he opened a door slowly. He had his gun loaded and pointing quick through the room. Nothing was there. Tino was too scared to say anything, scared that such a creature or something else would come around the corner. He slowly walked further, past the writing desk. He felt Peter tremble beside his leg. But suddenly he heard something, it wasn't the sound off something breaking or someone walking, but soft incomprehensible mumbling. There was a door to another room, it sounded like it came out off that room. He looked at Peter before he grabbed his hand tight and opened the door.

They saw a person laying on the floor, with his back towards them, his legs pulled against his chest and his head in between them. The hands were in his blond hair. "No...no...no" he kept repeating it. Tino didn't know what to do, but he slowly laid his hand on the person's shoulder. Making the person flinch before he turned his head around. "Denmark!? What happened?"

"People... breaking... I hide... they searching... throwing things..." He couldn't bring it out in normal sentences. It was the shock off what had happened. "Mathais calm down, it's me, Tino and Peter." Mathais's eyes darted in all directions. His whole body was shivering, "Lukas... gone, no idea where." It was fear that made Mathais unable to speak properly, his hands clenched on Tino's jacket.

"They... back... away... here." He heard Denmark's uneven breaths and some the fear in his eyes, "They back... for me, get away." His speech got better but was still not understandable. But he wouldn't leave him behind here. Out off the sudden Mathais hugged him before he began to sob on his shoulder "I...w-worried about you, thought you died, thought I... alone." Tears began to stream down his face, Tino hugged him back, tears started to stream down his cheeks as well. Denmark was alive, but where was Norway. "Mathais, where's Lukas?" Denmark began to sob harder and grabbed Tino's jacket in between his fingers.

Peter didn't recognise Mathais anymore, his normally loud, happy self, wasn't there anymore. It was now the completely opposite. "He gone, no trace, just gone." Tino tried to comfort Mathais but the sound off glass breaking made him rise up. The same was with Mathais who rolled himself again in a little ball. He could hear the sound off foot steps breaking the furniture that laid on the floor. It weren't humans, humans would be much more quieter. The footsteps didn't come there way, but went to the hallway and up the stairs. "We have to get out off here, now and get away." He started to pull on Denmark's jacket, who didn't make any movement to get up. Peter started to pull on the end off his jacket in faded attempts to pull him up. "Stand up Denmark!" Tino mumbled, he got no reaction back. So he just pulled Denmark up onto his feet. He could hear the steps right above him.

It was searching something. He slowly began to walk out off the room with both Peter and Denmark holding his hands. When they were in the second room the accadentially stepped in some glass. The sound off breaking wood was heard, before a dust cloud blinded filled the room but the silhouette was clear for Tino it was such a creature. It had fallen straight through the ceiling they were they were just a moment ago. Denmark looked over his shoulder. His eyes widening as the dust began to settle down and Peter almost beginning to scream. At this point Tino began to run, pulling them with him, to the living room and jumping over the cabinets and tables.

They could hear the creature breaking to wall to get in the other room. It began to growl as it broke the wall making the opening bigger. As they were in the hallway the creature almost had them, the door opening had saved them. Denmark was in complete shock, he had never seen such creature and didn't want to see it again. They jumped through the front door and straight to the car. Opening the doors and getting inside. Quickly doing the seatbelts on. Tino was trying to get the engine running as the creature broke through the front door and stormed right at them. Panic was in all off them. As the car started Tino pushed as hard as he could on the gas pedal making the car accelerate fast and driving away. The creature grabbed out and just barely missed the bumper. There got more distance between them and the creature, but Tino just kept going at full speed.

Denmark was shivering beside him in the front seat, while he looked at the creature that began to disappear in the distance. "W-what's t-that?" He stuttered, Peter was sitting behind them and was almost crying. "I don't know," his hands went around the steering wheel and pinching it a bit, "but it was the one that got Sweden." Denmark looked at him, "so Sweden is no more." Tino kept his gaze straight towards the road and nodded "he sacrificed himself for us."

A frown appeared on Denmark's face another person he knew wasn't there anymore. Even though they didn't get along that well, he still felt something heavy in his heart. "What had happened in Norway's house?" Mathais turned his head to the backseat where Peter sat. He saw the fear spread across Peter's face. "A big group off people broke in. I could just hide in time." The creature had disappeared from the horizon, it made Tino slow down a bit. "Why were they in Norway's house?"

"They were searching for something, but I don't know for what. The only sentence that I could hear from where I was hiding was. _They aren't here anymore let's search somewhere else._ "

***

"Alright put your feet here on the peddles. I'll hold onto you." Liechtenstein grabbed the steering wheel and set her feet on the peddles. Her arms shaking as she tried to hold the steering wheel straight. She felt Abel's hand on her back slowly pushing her forward, while the other held onto her arm. He was slowly running with her as she moved further. She had never driven a bike before and this was her third day trying to do it. "You can try to pedal now..." It almost sounded like someone said it through a microphone. The helmet was the cause off it.

Abel lowered himself a bit, his head coming closer to hers. Her feet slowly began to push the peddles making her go a bit faster. "You're doing great." His hands slowly let go off her, she was still shaking a bit, but she didn't fall. She couldn't believe it, she was cycling, slow but she was cycling. Abel was running with her for in case if she would fall. She had gotten an helmet from him special for cycling. Her grip on the steering wheel became better and she was shaking less. Abel stopped running. "Try turning." She hardened her grip on the steer before slowly turning around, she almost fell, but caught herself with her left feet. That was something she had work on together with cycling a bit faster. She remembered Abel telling that she had to learn to bicycle fast if they wanted to move fast through places and have a bigger chance to escape such a creature. "Good job for the second time," he walked towards her "I'm sure you'll be able to bicycle in no time and be pretty fast too." She looked up and a small smile formed on her face, Abel wasn't really from the compliments so he really meant this.

"Let's try it again." He got behind her again and started to push her, she putted her feet on the pedals and started to pedal a bit faster as the first time, her grip on the steering wheel was now almost without shivering. She began to have the idea she was getting more used to sitting on a bike. So when Abel let go she peddled a bit further before turning to the left and cycling back to him. He was stunned, never had he seen someone learning to ride a bike that fast. It wasn't the most gracefull but she was doing it. She was laughing a bit when she got past him, and turning around, coming back past his other side. The speed was the only thing she would need to work on. After all this was her third day trying to cycle.

They were close to the Austrian border when Abel said that she was going to learn bicycling here. Both off them weren't really talkers so most off the time walking had been silent. Abel holding his bike in one hand. After a while of walking she had grabbed his hand for support, his hand pressed tightly shut around hers. Just like Basch did. He really wasn't from the words but rather physical support. She knew why, it had to do with his sister. Having to deal with your own loss is already hard enough and having someone that needed a shoulder to cry on was too much. But he would let her cry and he would pet her back as a sign off affection.

***

"Let's get you some better clothes. The dress will be inconvenient, if you'll have to run." They were getting some supplies in the centre off a small town. She looked at Abel, he was right, her dress could get stuck on something if she had to run. It had come to Abel's mind when he saw a clothing store across the street. "Okay, Mr. Netherlands." He grabbed her small hand and pulled her over to the clothing store. He turned his head back and looked at her.

"Don't call me Mr. Netherlands, Abel is fine."

She nodded in response, before turning her gaze to the shop, wondering what sort off clothes she would need. Maybe some boy jeans, since those are a lot stronger than the jeans for girls. She looked up at Abel, of course only seeing the helmet with the glass up. He had the goggles on and a mouth mask. She realised she didn't really know anything off him besides that he used to have a big harbour in his country. Off course that was all gone now.

"Godverdomme... The door is locked." She didn't understand the first word, but it propably was a curse word. Abel let go off her hand and grabbed a brick that was laying loose on the streets and threw it through the glass door. It made her squeak off surprise while she covered her eyes. It splintered in thousands off glass shards before the glass fell out. It sure was loud, the one thing Abel didn't want to be. Abel had to have the idea it was safe here to do such a thing "If there's no entrance make an entrance by yourself." He whipped the dirt off his hands before he helped Elise inside. As suspected he walked to the men's section. All those women's clothing was far to thin and easily ripped. She didn't know where to look or where to start. Normally Basch would choose her clothing. Now she had to do it herself.

"Let's try this." Abel held the smallest size off pants he could find in the teenage boy section with an army green Jacket and Black T-shirt and gave it to her. The green was to camouflage her a bit. How had he found clothing so fast? She took the clothing off him and walked with him towards the changing rooms. He stayed close to her for safety reasons of course. She walked into one of the changing rooms and closed the curtains. Abel turned himself around looking to the broken glass door. Sure that nothing would enter this shop without him knowing. And if something would come in he could grab his gun or the claw in less than three seconds.

He took the helmet off and did it under his arm, there was no need to keep it on in the shop. The air was still clean in this room and he wouldn't fall in here. His hand was fumbling with the end off his jacket, his urge to smoke had started to kick in a few days ago. He always had it when he had several failed attempts to stop. This was his longest period off without time smoking anything and this time his attempt wouldn't fail. Afterall the world run out off cigarettes soon so why try to smoke anyway. He turned around when he heard the curtain open. Liechtenstein was standing there the shirt and jacket were a bit to long. Off what he could see the pants were the right size. "Is it comfortable?"

"Yes, I'm just not used to wearing jeans." She still wasn't used to see Abel with his hair down even though she had already seen it for the three days he had been in their home. It was because she had only seen pictures off them and in all off them he had his hair spiked up. For the time outside he had been wearing the helmet. "Let's remove the price tags." She folded the clothing such way Abel could cut through the strings that kept the price tags on it. He was using the Swiss army knife.

"I have something to complete this. Close your eyes." Elise hesitated but closed her eyes. She could hear Abel downing his backpack off and going through it. It was silent as she heard Abel stepping closer to her. Elise felt something being set on her head. "You can open them again." She saw Abel stepping back, from her and closing the bag again. Her hands slowly went to her head and felt something soft. She turned herself around and saw the white hat she was familiar to. It was her brother's hat. "He wanted me to take it with me for you." Tears began to stream down het cheeks. She atleast had something off her brother with her now. "Thank you" she looked up seeing a small smile on Abel's lips "No problem." His head was pointing towards the exit. "We'll leave again, I'm sure one off those creatures has heard this." She nodded in response. He looked back at her before he did the helmet on again. She followed him outside and back to their bikes.

***

Their journey to Austria's house was rather hard. They had to go over the mountains with a bike and have the luck to not get lost. They all knew the way a bit where which country was but when inside the country they could lose the way easily. Another problem was that they couldn't go over the main roads anymore. Scavengers and thieves were on them, not afraid to kill a person over a good bag with food. Abel was almost killed that way when he was close to the Swiss border.

"Let's find a place to sleep, it's getting dark." They had covered almost 50 kilometres off roads that day and Elise couldn't be happier as you could be in such position. They were on the top off one off the mountains they had to get over. A typical Alpien House stood there, it looked like nothing had been here yet. The windows being small meaning it had to break more as an window to get to them. The sun made the wooden outside walls blink and shine even though there was a small layer off volcanic ash on it. What would be still in the air for the many years to come. "Let's use that house. The windows are small, meaning it can't come in easily." Elise was too tired to react and got off her bike just like Abel did. The bikes were set against the wall and Abel opened the door lightly holding the claw in his left hand. You never could be to careful in this new world, that might be his home forever, if he survived long enough to see that happen. "Are you left-handed?" Abel looked back at Elise, "yeah, but I was forced to right with my right hand since the ink that was used than would be smudged." That explained the pointy handwriting he had, she had seen it in the letters he sent to her brother. But only if you looked really close you could see the shivers the hand had made to write those letters. He lifted the bikes in the hallway, not wanting them to be stolen after all you never knew of dangerous people were around. The other reason was to leave no tracks to their hiding places for the "witte dood". Elise felt her Eyes beginning to feel heavy, if she hasn't been in this situation she would right away go to sleep. Abel slowly walked in with Elise following him.

The wood cracked with the steps they set, no danger was spotted yet. "So can you also write with your left hand?" Abel looked a bit frustrated back "This is not the moment to ask these questions." He pushed one off the doors open and walked into what appeared to be a living room. It only was dirty and a mess. Everything laid across the floor and food stains that weren't that old were in the carpet. Someone lives here or lived here, "we have to be quiet, someone might be here or will come back.'' Emtpy bottles of alcohol layed on the floor, standing on the tables. There came smoke off a sigaret that was pushed in a ashtray laying on the floor that if he was right. Looked like it had been thrown off the table.

If he was right it likely had happened a few minutes ago and you could never know if the person was good willed or bad. An urge to leave this house grew inside off him, but it became dark outside meaning it wouldn't be safe anymore, this house would be safer even if a serial killer lived here. A package off sigarets laid on a cabinet close to him, his hand went to grab it, but half way he stopped. Smoking was bad, he knew that and had never cared about that even his sister couldn't make him stop. It is bad for yourself and people around you. He looked at Elise, he sighed hard His hand going in a fist before he pulled his arm back with his other arm. He had promised to protect her from any danger and take care off her. He would keep her safe even if it meant giving up smoking.

He grabbed one off her wrist and walked further silently, passing all the dirty stuff on the ground. The living room was connected to a kitchen where a half eaten meal stood on the table the damp still came from it. There was no sign of live, the ground floor was safe. Yet he had a bad feeling about this house. "Liech, stay close by me." He lowered his claw and did it again on his belt and held the gun in his hand. He walked to the hallway again. Opening a closed door, it was a small room full of goods. No danger here either. The last door on the ground floor was a innocent toilet.

The stairs cracked under his feet as he slowly walked up. A certain aura hang there that he stopped walking and freezed on the stairs "Elise stay down, I'll have a look quickly." She didn't follow him on the stairs and went to the room where the goods were in. He continued walking up the stairs. The sense got worse when he was on the hallway, the first door he opened was a bathroom. Nothing was wrong. Another door was a child's bedroom with the toys still laying on the ground.

It had to be the last room. His hand trembled as he opened it. The sight made him drop his gun, a person had hanged himself there. It wasn't long ago since the skin still had his pink glow over it. He didn't want to enter the room, but a small book got his attention it layed a couple off feet away from the door. He slowly walked in and grabbing the book before he walked out and closed the door behind him. He opened the book, making a picture fall out off it. He bend down to grab it, as he turned it around he saw three people smiling. A woman with blond hair and brown eyes, a male with brown hair and blue eyes and a small child with brown hair and blue eyes. He could see dried up tear drops on the picture.

He turned the page seeing small written down texts and decided to read through it maybe some information as in there.

_Day 1_

_I don't know what happened, our tv doesn't work for some reason and I can't reach my lovely wife, I hope she's okay._

He turned a few more pages as it started to get harder to read it.

_Day 20_

_I'm surviving on bread and some old cans off food. The outside world scares me. It's black all black, I haven't left the house since the first day and haven't heard anything from Maria or the day care my little boy is. I'm slowly loosing hope.._

He quickly got to the last page off the book.

_Day 6?_

_I had my last meal that my lovely Maria used to make me. I've seen weird horrifying creatures through the windows. It almost look like they came from a sci-fi universe. Luckily it didn't see me. But it wouldn't really have mattered if they had seen me. Since this is the last time I'll be writing in this dairy. I don't have any hope anymore that my wife and son are still on this planet, I hope I'll see them again in heaven..._

_I'm sorry for them if they still were._

_Love David_

_Son, husband and father_

He felt the chills run down his spine. The creatures had arrived before them. This poor man lost his family and ended his own life out the sake of lost hope and sadness. This could have been him. If he had given up hope, it could have been him hanging there. But he had the promise to himself to live for his siblings and for Switzerland. To which he had made the promise to keep Liechtenstein safe, if he would end his live, he'll break these promises and he never broke a promise. He wanted to keep it that way.

He closed the book and laid it down in front off the door. As he walked down the stairs he didn't see Elise in the hallway. He looked around and in the end finding her in the cupboard under the stairs sleeping. She must have been tired, he sighed a small smile formed on his lips "Thanks to you I'm still alive." He sat himself besides her and locked the door from the inside. This was the only room in the house where it was safe to make some light and not get noticed. But he wouldn't stay up much longer, he would only eat something before he would go to sleep himself. He wanted to leave when it was light again, wasting no useful time they could use to travel. He did the backpack off and ate the last piece out off an opened container, it were beans, Elise didn't like them anyway. It wasn't much later that he also fell asleep.

He woke up from something that was clutching his right arm. He grabbed the flashlight and lightened the room. Seeing Liechtenstein holding onto his arm like it was a plush toy. That was a thing he didn't have to worry about anymore. Her head leaned against his shoulder and was breathing softly. How was he going to do something, since he didn't want to wake her up yet. She needed all the sleep she could get, she was a child after all.

Well leaving a bit later couldn't me that bad? He himself could need the the extra sleep. No, no those creatures are here, they have to move on. The sooner in Austria the better.

"Liech, Liech wake up. We have to go further." He said it soft while he softly pushed her a bit with his shoulder. Her cheek rubbed against his shoulder as she hugged his arm tighter. She was still sleeping. He sighed, before a small smile came on his face while a tear streamed down his cheek. She just reminded him so much off Bella. But that smile went away fading in a frown before he began to sob. His hand going over his mouth, trying to cover his sobs. They got louder, it was all the sadness he had pushed behind an iron door that now had bursted open. "Bell, I'm sorry I couldn't save you... Please forgive me." His chest was shaking hard.

"Mr. Netherlands, are you alright?" He whipped the tears from his face, before he looked at Elise. "I'm fine Elise, it just got too much for a sec" She could see his red eyes, tears started to well up in her eyes. "It's all my fault isn't it? It's because off me that you cry. Because I remind you of her isn't It?" Abel quickly pulled her close against his chest, hugging her tight. His hand went over the behind off her head. "You only took me with you, because I remind you of her?"

"It isn't your fault, Elise you can't do anything about it and that isn't the only reason. I keep my promises and I made the promise to Basch to keep you safe so I'll do that whatever it costs." His hands held her face up, his gaze met her "I'll never leave you alone." His thumbs whipped her tears off her cheeks. Her hands held his shirt in between her fingers. "Basch wouldn't want to see you like this, show me that beautiful smile." She slowly began to cry a bit softer, her lips turning up a bit with her eyes closed. A soft smile was on Abel's lips. "That's much better," he grabbed a can with cooked red kale up out off his backpack. "Eat this you'll need it."

***

"Elise are you sure this is his house?" He didn't know it, he really haven't been that often to Austria, but Liechtenstein had spent enough time there to tell him that. "Yes, this is his house, Hungary is here also sometimes." The house looked abandoned. Yet there stood a burning candle in an open window. The door was, not broken open, but just like someone had forgotten to lock it. From what he could see, it was clean and tidy inside. No claw trails were on the floor or in the garden. Still he didn't trust it, letting a door stand open now wasn't the smartest thing to do and Austria was overly proctective off his belongings, he found it out one time he had to visit him. He had to sit on the floor because otherwise he would make his new couch dirty. That was just a bit to extreme for Abel, in the end a couch would end up dirty anyway. But he could understand why, couches are expensive especially his taste off furniture.

"Hello...? Austria...? Hungary...? You in here...?" Abel pushed the door open, with Elise following him in. It looked like nothing had happened, like the whole apocyclapse just had skipped this house. There came no reaction. There was just the silence that was broken by a ticking clock. He slowly stepped in the hall way, looking around him, the paintings ever so silent hanging there. The wooden floor cracked with the steps they took. He lifted the helmet off his head and laid it on a table standing in the middle off the living room. The living room was the same no one in there. They walked around the couch towards the next door. At the moment he wanted to open it he heard a crack. He turned his head to the door where they have come through, a bullet flew past his face only a piece off hair was cut off. The bullet entered to wall leaving a hole in it.

"Austria? What were you thinking!" The gun was still pointed to them, but mainly towards Abel. He was the biggest threat in his eyes. Liechtenstein was standing next to Abel holding tight onto his clothes as she looked at Austria, shivering off fear. "I thought you were robbers, but oh well, why not kill you anyway for interrupting my peace." This wasn't the Austria she remembered. He reloaded the gun and his finger went around the trigger, pointing it at Abel's head. "Run!" Just in time Abel pulled Elise in the other room as the bullet went through the door entry and breaking a window. "This visit sadly had to come to an end, Netherlands." It was soft but he didn't trust it. He straight away ran towards the following room. When he opened the door a bullet just flew over him. Roderreich had estimated his height wrong other wise he wouldn't be standing here. "I thought you were taller than that." He now was happy he that he wasn't any taller. Abel quickly grabbed his own gun off his belt and pointed it towards began to laugh almost devilish.

"What's so funny?" Abel snarled, while he pushed Elise out off the door opening. "I know you Abel, you don't have it in you to shoot me." Abel's hand trembled, he was right. "You even couldn't shoot Spain, the man who you hated the most, it was the perfect moment to end him. The man you wanted to get away from so bad, but you didn't, you spared his miserable soul." He just couldn't do it, shooting Basch was out off sympathy and the human because it was such creature. "I dare you to shoot at me Abel, shoot me so I fall down on the floor in mine own pool of blood." He lowered his arm, why couldn't he just do it, even if Austria was trying to kill him, he just couldn't kill a human without feeling like a murderer. He already felt like one, by ending Basch's life.

"That's what I thought, it's my turn now." He loaded it again and as he pointed to Abel's head, but he lost grip off it. The bullet rotated as it got out off the gun. It was like time had slowed down, as the bullet came his direction. The impact off the bullet was felt, making Abel's face crunch up. The bullet had hit him in his lower leg, it had gone straight through it, just missing the bones. It had made Elise letting a high pitched scream out. The wound the bullet left was big and needed to be taken care off fast.

He wanted to fall on the floor and grab the wound and scream. Instead he grabbed an iron figurine and threw it in Austria's face, before it fell on the ground making a clattering sound. Austria stumbled a bit back as he grabbed towards his face while he groaned. He had no time to loose and he grabbed Elise by her wrist. Biting through his pain as he began to run, pulling her with him. Something was wrong with him, this isn't the Austria he knew from the meetings. They went through the living room, where he snatched his helmet off the table and set it on again.

He could feel the blood soaking his trousers before it began to stream down his leg in his shoe. The wound began to sting before it felt like with every step he took a knife was smashed in his leg, but he kept running. He could hear Austria running their way. They ran down the stairs in front off the entrance as a bullet flew over them again. Luckily their bikes stood against the wall off the house. They got on quickly and started to bycicle for their lives. Austria ran after them "Get back here, you haven't even said good bye." But they got a greater distance with him as he fell down of exhaustion from only running 100 feet (150 metres). They could hear a gun shot but it missed them with 10 feet (3 metres) hitting a street sign instead.

She didn't know for how long they had cycled, but it was getting dark and they still didn't have any place to sleep for the night. She had the idea Abel could fall off his bike any second now and loose his consciousness. "L-let's go into that small house over there." Abel pointed with a shivering arm towards a abandoned house in the middle off a meadow. It was the only choice they had. They got off their bikes and walked the rest towards what now looked more like a shed. It was small and had one small window on the roof top. They sat the bikes inside and closed the door behind them.

At that moment Abel fell down, the pain had gotten to much for him to handle that he lost his concouiness. First on his knees than straight on his stomach. The dust flew through the room. Elise watched in shock, "Abel!" Liechtenstein got to his side, shaking his side, he didn't respond, panic started to spread through her. "Abel! Abel wake up!" She pulled the helmet off his head seeing that his face had become pale. She bend down and put her ear close to Abel's mouth. He was breathing, she sighed. What was she supposed to do? She never had been in such a moment. She looked up and down his body seeing the soaking red trouser leg. Her hands removed it fast seeing the wound that had gotten inflamed. Her fingertips became red off touching the trouser leg. The blood was still streaming out off it, it couldn't heal up by itself. It was too big.

She grabbed the backpack off his back and began to search for the first aid kit he had told her about. It was all the way on the bottom off the bag. Eventually she got it and grabbed a cotton ball out off it and doing some water on it to clean his leg, from all the dried up blood and the blood that was still streaming out off it. The cotton ball had become completely red and brown. After that she grabbed to alcohol bottle. The alcohol was slowly absorbed by the cotton ball and she cleaned the wound througly, hoping the inflammation would become less. The one thing she didn't dare to do was stitching the wound. Sure she had stitched quite a lot and was quite good at it. But stitching up a wound was something she didn't dare to do.

Scared of that it would go wrong or would hurt Abel in the proces of it. But only doing bandages around it wouldn't stop the bleeding. She had to stitch the wound first before bandages could be used. She grabbed a needle and a black thread with shaking hands. She sterilized the needle with some alcohol, before putting the thread through the opening. At the end off the black thread she tied a to be knot so the thread couldn't get loose and open the wound again.

She watched in horror as she quickly poked the needle in the skin a bit under the wound. It went through the gaping opening and came out off his flesh a bit above the wound. It was her luck that Abel was unconscious, so she didn't have to hear his groans off pain or had to deal with a moving leg. She set the needle again underneath the gaping hole and did the same. Making it look like she was writing an N where only in the diagonal was visible off. She did it one more time before she softly pulled the thread completely through the wound. Making the gaping hole on one side disappear, a knot was laid in it, before she cut the remaining thread off. She did the same on the other side. Afterwards some bandages were placed around it, to prevent anymore bloodloss and to protect it against dirt.

She turned him on his back with afford. She was amazed by how long Abel had ignored the wound. She herself would have fallen down right after the shot but he didn't. Elise was exhausted and after cleaning up after herself she fell sleep, close to Abel who was the only source off any kind off heat in the shed.

***

"E...e...elise...?" Abel's voice cracked not much harder as a normal breath would sound. Liechtenstein turned her head around as she heard coughing coming from the corner she had placed Abel in. Did she hear it right? After all the time he was unconscious, he had woken up. If she has counted the days right, seven days had passed that he hadn't moved or spoken. She was scared that she had lost him, her only mainstay to survive this.

It had been boring alone, with no one to talk with. She did talk to Abel but really didn't get any reaction back as he lay there not moving a muscle. In the end she started watching the small insects that collected small seeds off a workbench.

She ran towards him and set herself on her knees besides him. "Elise..." his hand reached up, which she grabbed in both her hands. His fever was still high she felt it and saw the sweat on his forehead. But that didn't matter he was awake now. "His piano..." Elise bent down closer to Abel's face "it was broken."

"But Austria would never break his Piano." She looked at Abel's half opened eyes. They were red and dried up tears in the corners off them. He tried to say something but his throat was too sore. Elise looked away and grabbed a water bottle and brought it to his lips. Her hand went under his head and pushed it a bit up. Slowly she poured the water in his mouth, Abel glupped it all down. Where after he took a big breath in and pushed himself up, still sitting on the floor. He looked at Elise who was on the same height as him.

"It wasn't him who broke it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Verdomme: is a dutch curse word which you can translate as god damn it.  
> I hope you liked it and if you want you can comment something.


	4. Chapter 4

Driving. How long had they driven? He couldn't tell it but it was long, too long to be healthy. But stopping somewhere wasn't the safest option. With god knows how many off those creatures were lurking behind the trees, staring at them and waiting for the perfect moment to attack them. Mathais had gotten a package off those grain biscuits, he didn't really like them but now he didn't complain about it, like he would normally do if someone gave it to him. They tasted far too bland, just like a single piece off bread would taste. His stomach really didn't care what it would get, it had been empty for quite a bit now so it took the biscuit. He missed the colours it was far to dark to his likings. Everything from now on looked the same: like shit, shit with different forms and textures. But he wouldn't say that to Finland, who would hit him for using that kind off language around Sealand. Something in him felt like he was almost gone, erased from this world, but he was still here. Also a heavy feeling was on him like he was in a ravine separated from the rest off the higher laying nations.

"W-what! Water here? That isn't possible the coast should be dozens of kilometres further away." Tino pressed hard on the break, the car stop abruptly making them shoot forward before the seatbelts pulled them back. Mathais started to cough on a piece off that disgusting biscuit that had gotten in his airways. Tino started to hit his back, until he stopped coughing. "The sea levels must have risen, there's no other explanation." Mathais said, that explained it all why he felt this way. Almost his whole country must be under the sea then "But so high that's just shocking." Tino said worried, while he sighed out off frustration they would have to drive thousands of kilometres before they would be in central Europe. The place they though everyone had gone to. Peter loosened his seat belt and came with his head between the to frontchairs wanting to see it himself. "Mathais does that mean t-that your c-country..."

"Yes that means almost my whole country is gone. Meaning that we can't go over the bridge that connects Scandinavia to the main land and have to travel all the way to Finland and then down through Russia before we are in central Europe." That was going to take much more time and was far more dangerous, since most roads would go through the damn scary forests, would there be even gasoline on their ways they could use?

"I don't like to say this but if this means the sea levels have risen a lot, wouldn't your friend the Netherlands be dead since 95% off his country is under 70 metres high seen from the sealevels?"

"Nah, that dude almost has a build in flood detector. He can feel if a flood is going to occur close to him." It made Mathais almost laugh remembering that one time he was with Abel. He was walking with him through a residential area when Abel stopped him suddenly and said in a scared voice "there's a flood taking place." It made Mathais look strange at him before a small stream off water streamed in front off their feet. He could see Abel starting to panic and stepping away from the water and then jumping in his arms holding onto Mathais for his dear live. In the end it turned out to be a toilet that was blocked. Making him fall on the ground and starting to laugh hysterically, because the flood Abel had felt was from fricking toilet. He still joked about it even now irritating him with it. If Abel would insult him he would always say "says the guy that was once scared off a toilet." Most time it would end with a newspaper being shoved down his throat, but it was worth it.

"What's there to laugh about this? Nothing is funny about all off this!" Tino pushed his shoulder. Both looked at him confused and surprised. Somehow they didn't mind it, this was the first time they had seen his smile on his face. "Just a memory about Abel and a toilet, you wouldn't get it." He chuckled. The confused looks became even more confused looking.

"Just tell it to us so we get it. I would like to laugh after all of this." Peter said looking at him with pleading eyes. Mathais couldn't say no to that and laughing would be good for them. But what if Abel would find out he told this to someone else, he would kill him, but like he would ever find that out. "Okay so Abel once felt a flood and it turned out to be water coming from a blocked toilet." He couldn't hold his laugh anymore and started to laugh hysterically, it took a while before he could talk further. "You should have seen his face! It was hilarious." They still looked a bit confused but a small smile was on their face. "Imagine the intimidating Netherlands being scared off a toilet. And he was like freaking out and even jumped into my arms holding onto me like he would die." The image off Denmark having Netherlands in his arms who's grabbing onto Mathais for his live made them laugh a bit.

"But please don't tell him that if we meet him, because he'll try to put me in a pinnapple suit. He said he would do it if I would tell this and Abel will always keep a promise. Don't underestimate him he will do it to me." That was the last drop in the bucket that made them laugh so hard Mathais was sure you could hear it outside off the car. It was good the see them laughing, he remembered one time hearing Abel say 'laughing is the best medicine'.

"I hope we'll find him. And the rest" They could understand that, Abel was a close friend of Mathais outside off Scandinavia. Mathais sighed as he looked towards the water that wasn't more than a meter (3 feet and 4 inches) from the car. "Peter can you sit down and do your seatbelt on, I'm going to drive again." Peter set himself back and did the seatbelt around him. Tino set the car in the reverse and started to drive slowly back from the water before he turned it around and started to drive back searching for a big road that would lead them towards Finland quickly and safe. "Don't we have to stop to tank somewhere or get some food?" Even though it was dangerous it would need to happen at some point. The tank wouldn't keep them driving all the way.

"If we get by a tankstation we'll stop, tank fast and get some food and move on again. Standing still is too dangerous." They all could agree on that. One thing that Mathais wondered about is how they didn't get bored off this. Driving all the time without sleeping, Tino must be tired. He saw the tired looking eyes off Tino who had diffuculty keeping them open. "I'm going to drive after we've tanked so you can rest Tino." Tino turned his head slowly towards him. "Thank you." His gaze turned towards the road again where some cars stood abandoned by their owners that had disappeared. It looked like the time was set still, nothing moving except them. He didn't know how late it was but it was getting dark. The time off the day he now feared to most. They would have to set the car lights on and wouldn't be able to see any further as that. But those creatures would be able to see them coming from a far and they wouldn't know that. Since the streetlights didn't work anymore.

It was dark when they stopped by a tank station to get something to eat and fill the tank with fuel again. Their head lights were on and the motor was still running. It was Denmark who got out this time, filling the tank untill it was full. It was terrifying to be outside off the car right now. He couldn't see a thing, except the car and what was in front off the headlights. This stupid black stuff kept coming in his lungs. So he put his shirt over his nose and mouth.

He could see Tino already drifting off in the seat next to the driver's as he looked at the car. He must be really tired to fall asleep with those creatures walking around. Peter was already sleeping for some hours since it had become dark. At some point fuel started the stream down his hand, he was to busy with checking his surroundings that he had forgotten about filling the tank. He closed the opening to the tank and whipped the excess fuel off onto his black coat. Like anyone would it anyway.

Now came the scariest part, getting the food out off the dark tankstation shop that was atleast 10 metres (around 33 feet) from the car. Ten metres he had to overcome and walk to the in his opinion most scary looking shop. He had seen what those animals could do. It weren't even animals, more like beasts, no creatures were the best way to call them. Since he didn't even know them that well and didn't look if they came from earth. "Come on Mathais, you are a brave viking and nothing can stop you from reaching that shop." He mumbled it to himself. He set the first step towards it and immediately regretting in. "Who am I kidding, I'm already scared if I see Lukas glaring at me and pushing his sleeves up. And those things are like 20 times more dangerous as him."

But he just couldn't leave without taking any food with him. It would look cowardish if he didn't grab atleast something, Mathais who is to scared to grab some food and cause hunger by 2 other people. No he didn't want to be that kind off person. "Alright, Mathais if you go to that shop and grab some water bottles and some good biscuits and proteinbars. You're allowed to play with Lego later. Even though you're much older as 99 years."

He took his first step forward, followed by another. He looked back at the car before he took a small sprint on his toes to the shop. The door opened and a bell softly rang, making Mathais jump up in the air. "shut up bell, you scared the shit out off me!" He said it like he could make the bell scared off him, even though that wouldn't be even possible. Alright it wasn't that scary in here. But finding what he needed would be difficult. Since there was absolutely no light in here. Except one thin beem off light coming from the car's headlights.

He stumbled a bit around to see if there was something he recognised. Well he recognised something but it wasn't food, it was a first aid kid! Well that was something they could use. He looked further if something else hear could be used. His eyes spotted something that he couldn't believe they had them hear: mouthmasks. He quickly grabbed three off them. Even if they would look ridiculous it would protect their lungs.

A sudden tear left his eye, he was confused, why was he crying? He whipped the tear from his cheek, seeing that it was black. That's... strange. It must be the ash in the sky that had gotten in his eyes. But more tears started to stream out off his eyes. The one blacker as the other, kept coming out off his eyes, "What's happening to me?" It made him drop to the floor, with his hands over his head, shaking a bit. His vision was a bit blurry, he stayed there terrified off what was happening, a small pool off the black fluid had formed under his head. How sudden it came the sudden it stopped. He was confused, his vision became normal again and to his opinion could see far better in the dark now. Everything was visible up to the smallest stone laying in one off the corners.

Mathais didn't know what to think off this, it was strange but is was useful. He walked further through the rows off goods, the fear had left him since he was now capable off seeing clearly in the dark. He saw the cookie isle in front off him and run towards it enthousatically. "Oh boy, now I can choose my favourites!"

It was like he almost had forgotten in what for world he was in now and the disappearance of Lukas and probably the dead of Berwald. He walked past it a few times and in the end choose some chocolate chip cookies, some sort off cookies with jam in them and off course for Finland the 'healthier option'. Which was the blend disgusting tasting cookie. He all pushed them into his pockets. Well they would need some drinks too. So this time remembering that those creatures existed, he walked softly towards where the drinks were. The smile dissapeared off his face, "Lukas... Berwald, how did i forget it." It came back confusing him. Instead off only water he also grabbed some apple juice since Peter loved that so much.

He wanted to leave, but something else got his attention. It were goggles people used to swim with, it would sure would look stupid but those would protect their eyes from the ash. So he just grabbed three off them. At last he also grabbed a small package off Lego, he had earned it, but he didn't remember why.

He opened the door again, and again was surprised by the bell. "Oh god, you again!" He mumbled. With heavy steps he went to the car. Determined to get away from here and get to safety. He opened the door on the drivers side and jumped in. He threw the door close and locked it from the inside so no one was able to get in from the outside. "Mathais?" Apparently he had woken Peter up. He looked at him with sleepy eyes, confused off why Mathais was sitting in front off the steering wheel. "Here grab this." Mathais went with his hands in his pockets and started to hand all the cookies towards him. Peter's small hands grabbed them hesitantly before putting them down besides him. Many more followed, together with the water bottles.

"Pssst... don't tell Tino." He handed Peter the apple juice bottles while he winked at him. He saw a big smile on Peter's face who shook his head up and down aggressively. Then he handed the mouthmasks and goggles. He got a confused look from Peter. "It's for if we go outside, so that stupid ash won't get into our lungs and eyes." He did his seatbelt on and pressed the gas peddle so the car started to drive slowly. He wouldn't be able to go harder as 30 km/h (20 mp/h) because otherwise he wouldn't be able to avoid hitting a car that would stand all alone on the road. It was when Peter fell asleep that he did the lights off. Since he now could see perfectly in the dark. Why he could see in the dark, was still a mystery for him, but why not use it to your advantage. It would have scared Peter if he had done it when he would have done it if Peter was still awake. Now they could travel without being seen, they could still be heard but the light was more dangerous as the sound of them driving.

It was silent and dark, the cars ventilator keeping the temperature in the car manageable to be in and the only sound he heard besides Peter's and Tino's breathing. It still scared him a bit, those cars, standing randomly on the road without any reason for it. If he was right they were in Sweden, his feeling told him that. Because now he felt were the country of Norway was and Sweden not anymore and first he felt it the other way around.

The silence made him think, something he didn't want to do. Because now only memories would come, he didn't want to have. The fights with Sweden, the independence of Norway. It made the tears well up in his eyes and started to cry. All the things he wanted to say to them, that he was sorry, that he cared for them. That wasn't possible anymore. He didn't knew where it came from but, he began to laugh softly. It was if something inside off him was making him laugh. A voice inside of him told him that he had to be happy because off that very specific reason. But it wasn't his...

"They don't deserve it, they hated you remember. All those times you came to their aid, they used you, betrayed you! You... you are above them all. You don't need them."

"N-no... get out off my head." He started to hit his head. Starting to panic, that's why he forgot it all. At that moment, in the shop, it was this voice.

"I don't want to force you... like the other."

Another? There were still people alive.

"Too bad he was useless. Failing his mission. But you'll succeed. You'll make us prou-."

He hit his head another time. He heard a small cracking sound and the voice was gone the only thing that was left was a high pitch sound in his head. It was just in his head. He just imagined it, it was just his fear. Fear could make you think something was there even if it wasn't.

"Tino... wake up..." Mathais was shaking his shoulder, "someone is standing on the road. I don't dare to move closer." Tino opened his eyes slowly, groaning as he pushed Mathais' hand away and rolled himself on his side "Tino, it's moving closer." He turned himself around to face Mathais who was looking scared back. He looked out off the front window. Why did the person look familiar? He reminded him off someone but he couldn't see who it was. As he got closer you could see him walking directly at them.

"SWEDEN! It's SWEDEN!" Tears formed in Tino's eyes, he couldn't believe it. He was alive, the man he loved was alive. All hope got back into him opened his door before he jumped out almost falling, forgetting about the creatures. He left his door open. Mathais hand grabbed out for him but his hand missed him. "TINO, DON'T-" but he couldn't hear Mathais, over his pounding heart and breath. A smile formed on his face and opened his arms to hug him close to him and never let go again. Mathais ran after him still not sure if he should trust it. Before he could realise what happened, Tino ran into him and hugged him tight. "I've missed you so much. I thought you died." It came all out with his sobs, he felt the others arms tighten around him.

Mathais was there also now, his breath out off control. The look he got wasn't the one he used to get from Sweden, he was smiling, smiling with bare teeth. Even if he could understand that someone would be happy to see them, but sweden would never laugh his teeth bare. He saw the widened eyes looking at him.

"F-finland?" Mathais stuttered, as he felt the fear run over his back. The look Sweden gave him intensified. Before he pulled a gun out and pointed it at his head, silencing him. He couldn't move if he did, he would be shot.

"Yes, Mathais?" Tino opened his eyes and looked at him unaware off Sweden's expression. He saw the gun pointed towards Mathais. Then he slowly looked up seeing his psychotic smile. The arm turned him around, before his arm came around his neck. Pulling him against his chest. How could he have been so foolish just to run out and believe this was really him. Something had happened on his way. It couldn't just be him. His hands grabbed towards the arm around his neck, trying to pull it away. The arm started to tremble and slowly pressed against his neck. Finland started to struggle to breath and started to cough. Fear was in both off them, as the gun was loaded and pressed against Mathais' head. Sweden laughed like a freak before he spoke.

"This isn't the Sweden you know. He's ours now. And soon you'll be too... Denmark."

***

"Are you sure we're in Luxembourg?" Francis said as he pulled the map out off Arthur's hands. Who almost wanted to yell at him for It, but a finger on his mouth stopped him from doing so. They had walked it all the way, through the small villages. Over highways, landroads, just grass fields and through a forest. Now they were at a small village were most things were covered in blood. Scratches covered the houses and cars. It made them terrified, it was Arthur's first time seeing the real damage.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. We passed a sign saying willkommen in Luxembourg." It came out irrated as he snatched the card again out off his hands. Arthur studied the card in his hands, searching for the fastest way towards Dresden the city where Ludwig was when he had contact with him. The best was to avoid the biggest cities, most people know that's where the creatures will be luring. For easy victims that were desperate for food and water.

He had to luck Francis was with him, he was the only one that could calm him down, or be the person where he could tell to how he felt. Even if they sometimes fought or had arguments, they would apologize later for it. It felt like they were more then just friends. The way Francis would pull him softly against him at night. His hand going in his hair and softly petting his head. It truly calmed him down. He felt save at Francis' side, not because off what was happening right now but in general.

Francis suddenly grabbed Arthur's wrist and stopped him in his tracks, looking a bit terrified. It made Arthur look up from his map, confused why he was stopped. "Why did you-" He went silent, there laid the first evidence. The evidence that a personification had died. Not it's body but a piece off clothing it was known for. It was laying in a dried up pool off blood. Francis stepped forward towards it while Arthur was holding onto his army tightly. "Shall I take it with me..." Arthur looked confused at Francis "That's disgusting, why would who do it. It's full blood." Arthur pulled him back up away from it. Francis grabbed his wrist and pulled Arthur closer to him.

"Arthur, what if I died, without you knowing wouldn't you then not want atleast something to remember me." He looked a bit sad at Arthur while he removed a piece of hair out off Arthur's face. "Let me do it, for his siblings. So I can give it to them if we meet them."

Arthur blushed a bit before he looked away. "F-fine. Have it your way." Francis let go of Arthur and walked towards the dried up pool of blood. "May you be in a better place, Netherlands..." He never had really known him well, but still it left a deep impact on him. He was usual silent, being able to silence one without having to say a word, just a stare was enough and if he spoke it sounded demanding and dominant. He was a fellow nation, it was what bonded them all together. He grabbed the piece off thorn up scarf and putted in his pocket.

Francis could see it in front off him, one of his fellow nations being murdered by one of those creatures. But he said nothing off it. He had seen them from afar one time and could not think off how much it would hurt.

"Let's move on." Francis stood up again and took a few steps before he turned himself around. It was the best to don't think to long about it. Grieving, there was no time for that in this world, life goes on and you have to fend yourself. Arthur already had taken a few steps back, not wanting to get to close to it, the smell coming from the gruesome scene was nauseating. "You're right let's move on. We still have a long way to go."

Francis got beside Arthur, as they started to walk further, he could see England had it hard. His face was tensed up, it looked like he was trying to keep his emotions locked inside of him. Trying to keep himself standing with all the setbacks. Nothing positive has yet been discovered, only misfortunes. Francis softly grabbed Arthur's hand who squeezed his for support. He saw a tear escape from Arthur's eye, but he didn't say anything. "First the disappearance of all most all the people, then the flood, then the creatures and now this, the dead of a fellow nation. I can't have it anymore. When is something good going to happen?" Arthur's watery eyes looked at Francis'. Francis' thumb softly caressed his hand trying to comfort him. "Soon Arthur, soon there will happen something that will make us happy."

Arthur stopped walking, making Francis stop. He looked in Francis before he hugged him tight and putted his head on Francis' shoulder and began to cry. France was a bit caught in surprise, holding his arms akwardly. It made his sigh as he laid one hand on Arthur's head, and the other one around his waist. "Sssttt, we still have eachother and as long it is that way nothing will happen to us." Arthur's tears streamed down his cheeks. He had to let it out, even if this was not the safest spot to do it. It came out off him, the stress, fear and sadness over everything that he had witnessed by himself. Atleast Francis was with him, otherwise he was sure he had lost his sanity here. His sergeants had been right, this wasn't a place to be alone in...

Arthur was still sobbing a bit as they were in one off the houses. It would be their shelter, for this night. It was rather small, but that didn't make it any safer. He had himself pressed against Francis who was holding him tight sure to not let go. His hand was entangled with Francis'. It was their way of showing one another support. "I wonder how America and Canada are doing." England looked up towards France. "I hope they are alright."

"Me too." He hoped his Mathieu was fine. He couldn't imagine what his life would be without him. Hoping they had teamed up. If they could only connect them. *

They had left and now were walking in Luxembourg (the city). Past all the ruins and over the abandoned streets. It hadn't come in them that it wasn't safe here as this was one of the biggest cities in Luxembourg. It made shivers run down their backs, holding onto eachother with each turn they took. Walking past the houses were yet no people were seen in. It was far too dangerous and they knew it.

"Francis... look!" Arthur tugged at his jacket and pointed to one of those creatures behind them. It already had seen them and started running towards them. Their eyes widened before they started to run, not knowing where to go as this city was like a labyrinth to them. There breath quickened, as they heard the creature closer behind them. As they thought it was over someone pulled them down in a long pipe. The person closed the lock before he looked their way. The sound of nails against iron was heard in the back ground. They couldn't see him, it was too dark. But he could see them as there were lights on him. They were still in fear not knowing if he was good or bad willed.

As another light bulb was on for just a second, his was ssen face. He looked a lot like the Netherlands but his eye colour was different, maybe he was related to him? They had seen him before, but they just couldn't get on his name. Most time he would stand by Netherlands and Belguim. "Who are you?"

The person stepped forwards with a smile on his face. "First off all, I'm so glad you guys found me. I was so scared down here alone. I'm Eliot also known as Luxembourg." Both of them stared at him with big eyes, they had found the first personification. Smiles got on there faces. "What did I say England, something good would happen soon." Eliot looked a bit confused at them, as they hugged eachother. "We'll have to stay here for quite a while, this creature will stay at the opening for at least two days. It also happened the first time I got in here. It just wouldn't stop scratching." Their journey would have to be stopped for a few days and be down here with Luxembourg. It was quite big, it had one mattress in the corner with a table and a big bookshelf filled with papers and even old board games. There was also a door the another place.

"If you want to refresh yourself, there's a shower down here." Well they could use that, they felt so dirty. The last time both had had a shower it was around a few months ago. So of course the smelt really bad. "I'll go first." Britain stood up, walked towards the door and leaving Francis and Eliot alone. It was a bit silent as both not really knew eachother. His blond hair was shiny in the light that lighted the room. "I hope my brother finds me soon." Luxembourg walked towards the bookshelf and grabbed a tiny metal box out of it. He struggled to open it, as it was rusted together. Francis stood there not knowing what to do. As he opened it and grabbed an old white and black picture out of it. "It was the first picture of us together." Francis stood beside him, the paper was almost crumbling apart as Luxembourg held it firm inbetween his fingers. All off them were in formal clothing that now would be called old fashioned. Belguim was sitting on a chair with her hands in her lap and her brothers on both sides of her. Even if he couldn't believe it on Netherlands face was a small smile while he had his hand on Belgium's shoulder. Even if it was in black and white, he could still remember their eye and hair colour.

The poor girl, they didn't even know if she was still here. He saw Eliot's hand shiver and heard soft sobs leave his mouth before a tear fell on the picture. "I miss them... eventhough our relationship wasn't the best." It was true after the Belgian Indepence war it always had been a bit rough between them, but that didn't change the way he felt for them they were still his siblings. Francis hand went on his shoulder to show sympathy. He grabbed something else out of the box it was a certificate, of his independence. He wanted independence after the dutch had a queen instead of King. Which he now didn't get.

A dark feeling got over Francis, as he had a ripped of piece his scarf in his pocket, Eliot was unkowningly hoping his now dead brother would find him. "He promised me a long time ago that if there would happen something bad to Europe he would come to me." He saw a smile on Eliot's face when he said that, he admired him. "Well, he was close..."

Eliot looked up at Francis with desparate expression on his face "Did you see him?" Even if he wanted to say yes, he couldn't give him false hope.

"No..." Francis grip on Eliot's shoulder got a bit more tense. Like he was preparing himself to say it. "How do you know that then? There were still sparkles in Eliot's eyes still believing that his brother was alive.

Francis hand went in his pocket and clammed around the scarf before he slowly went out of his pocket. His hand opened showing a ripped piece of Abel's scarf with a big red blood circle on it."We found this." Eliot's eyes widened and his pupils began to shiver before tears formed in his eyes. His hand grabbed it out of off Francis' hand and clammed it in his fist.

"He died..." Eliot fell to his knees and started to sob with his hands in front of his face. "B-brother no... not you. I lost you." Shaky breaths left his lungs he had lost one of the closest people to him. Francis went through his knees and started to rub his back out of compassion. "I know how you feel, I lost Spain." It didnt help since Antonio was also one of the people he knew better, from the time under him. His world just slowly started to fall apart all his hope to hug his siblings was ripped apart as now the only one He could hope for was his sister. "If you don't mind I'm going to sit in that corner for a while." Eliot slowly got to the mattress and lay himself down with his back towards Francis. He was sobbing with the little box against his chest and a piece of Abel's scarf in his hand.

If he only could have told him that he loved him for being his brother before this all happened and hug him tight. But that would never be possible again. Arthur came back in with damp hair seeing Eliot cry in the corner. From the look Francis gave him he knew that he had told him it. Francis walked in the bathroom while Britain sat himself on the mattress. "You can tell me anything to get it of your heart." Eliot looked with red eyes over his shoulders. "You wouldn't understand it, the bond I had with my brother was like gold. Pure and worth much more then anyone could afford."

"Eliot, I know how you feel, Scotland was gone after it happened and eventhough he wasn't the best brother. It fell hard on me." He laid his hand on Eliot's shoulder, who started to sob harder clutching the scarf in his hand. "It's alright you can let it out."

Eliot had stopped with crying but his eyes were dull and staring into the nothingness in front of him. You could almost say in the same way his brother used to stare in front of him. Making it all the more visible that they were brothers. It was also the first time that they had had a good meal, the only thing that was so uncomfortable was the scratching of the creature against the opening. It was still trying to get in. Right now they were playing a card game to waste time. It was that it was the only thing that could be done down hear since the rest was all in German. A language they couldn't understand and sometimes with the Luxemboirgish way.

Eliot was sitting on the bed with a small book in his hand, they had seen what was in them. It had been a old sketch book of Abel that he had given to him. His fingers would stroke every sketch as if he could feel Abel's hand going over the paper and smudging it a bit. Most sketches had been flowers and several of rabbits. But the ones that touched him the most were the sketches of himself and his sister and his self portraits. It was just like a small photo album. There it was the picture he still had was drawn in there with the smallest details. With a small text under it.

Shall our relationship grow back to what it was? Lieve Broer en Zus.It made him let a few tears out. Because know their relationship couldn't grow anymore.

All his hope was on his sister, but he didn't know she was dead and Abel alive, as the piece of scar was just the one Abel had used to cover a wound up. If he only knew it.

"We should go sleep, maybe tomorrow the creature will be gone." They all agreed to what Eliot said they hadn't slept good for a long time and sleeping a good evening is what they needed. Even if the floor was with a blanket under them it was still hard. It wasn't warm but if they laid close to one another it was warm and fell asleep in one another's arms.

***

That thought scared her, that someone else had gotten in and done something horrible to Roderreich. Something that had turned Austria into a killing machine with a bit off his personality. A dark feeling filled her up, something was not normal. What would happen to them? She didn't want to even think about it.

"The aliens aren't the only ones anymore we'll have to worry about." She looked worried at Abel, his eyes had lost their brightness. He coughed again making him bend his back forward and holding his hand in front off his mouth. "The ones we have to worry about now, are among us. Some of our own people." His voice almost sounded scared, while he tightened his hands around Elise's. They could trust nobody from now on, only eachother. They shouldn't trust someone or the same might happen to them or something far more worse: Dead.

"We have to leave" Abel pulled his wounded leg towards his chest and putted his hands against the wall, trying to stand up. Some small stones fell off the wall making it hit the floor with so that it almost sounded like music. He felt the wound opening a bit as he set force with his wounded leg. His fingers became white as he tried to pull himself up. He wouldn't accept that he was immobile, he had both off his legs, so why couldn't he just use them? Why did he have to be wounded right now. Why not a few weeks back, when there hasn't been any danger. He fell down again with a soft groan coming from his lips.

"Abel, you can't even walk, you have to rest." He didn't want to hear that word: can't. It's so negative something you wanted to avoid as much as possible in this time. You need a little light where you could focus on, to keep hope, hope that you would pull yourself through this and survive. He sighed, but she was right, he CAN'T walk. If he can't do that he wouldn't be able to protect himself and her.

Elise, A girl that didn't deserve this, she had done nothing wrong. Too young, too pure, yet she was pulled into it. Actually no one had deserved this. Sure most off them have done horrible things, that they deny now or feel sorry for. Even the baddest under them, this is a punishment no one deserves. Because other people are involved into it. He wondered if other personifications besides him and Elise are a live. Because this world is going to be everyone's dead. Some will die sooner while other try to survive and end up dead in the end. The worst being if he survives all these creatures, who will be alive to rebuild the world from the ashes it had fallen into with him. With so little people left.

"But if I can, we'll leave right away. Understood," She nodded, "even if walking will hurt me we'll go." He felt so helpless, something he didn't want to feel like. "If you don't mind, I'm going to look at the the wound on your leg."

"Do what you have to do." Her small hands softly rolled his trouser leg up, so soft that he almost didn't feel it at first. Only when she reached the wound he felt the pain dripping out off it. "You've reopened the wound." The bandage had two small red dots on them precisely in the opposite direction of eachother. If it would go on like this, he would be nothing more then wounds and scars in a year. The bandage was dirty, completely dirty from the shed's floor, that was nothing more then earth which had been kicked so it had become sort off solid. He hated this world, not only because off what was going on, but because it was so dirtyThat volcanic ash from the volcanoes in Italy making everything black. Even himself, his clothes, his head had been spared for a bit, but his hair was full his ash turned a bit black, as the specks lay on his hair. How hard he had tried to rub it out with his hands, ending up with black hands and still not ash free hair. If there was something he wanted, it would be a shower a so he could wash all this ash off him. It now almost felt like the ash and become a part off him. A part off him couldn't deny. The same was for Liechtenstein her skin and hair full off the ash. Making it visible where the goggles and mouth mask have been.

Her fingers removed the bandage slowly, Each time she went around it the blood circles became bigger. As it was finally removed, Abel saw how serious his injury was. It was worse than he had thought it be. It had healed a bit, but not enough to move with it. A big bruise with the size off his fist had formed around the wound. Stitches, multiple off them keeping his bruise closed. His expression was more terrified as Liechtenstein's. "Do you now understand why you can't walk. The bullet went straight through your leg, almost tearing the muscle apart." Abel gritted his teeth as her fingers softly went over the bruise, her hand pulled back hesatatily. She looked at at Abel's face seeing pain written on it. "Just go on." She grabbed a cotton ball, pouring a bit water on it. Their water was slowly running out, they had three bottles left. It sounded as much, but if you were with two persons and maybe had to do with it for how long it would to take for Abel to walk again, than it suddenly was just a little. The cotton ball removed the old blood around the stitches showing that the skin was healing around it. The skin still hasn't grown together but the worst part was over. It would become another scar to his already big collection. Most scars would disappear again after a while but some would stay with him. He was sure the one on his back would stay, even if it wouldn't stay the same size it would still be there. As he saw it right it was a bit inflamed, that was very logical in a world this dirty. A fresh bandage was placed around it. "And now don't think about moving it. Or it will open again."

"I won't, move a muscle."

It was the luck that Nations had fast healing, otherwise they would have been stuck there three times longer and had run out off food and water a long time ago. They were moving again, but slow not even more as 6 kilometres (around 4 miles) a day. Abel would fall through his legs if they went further. They still had their bikes with them, but didn't use them. Abel's leg was to weak to use it, so he used the bike as a balance point for support. Elise walked besides Abel trying to ignore his uneven steps he took. With every step he took with his wounded leg his face would crunch up a bit and sometimes a soft groan would leave his lips. Luckily she couldn't see his pain, otherwise she would have stopped him, he knew that. They only went over small roads that most off the time weren't even paved. It was just dirt, gravel or small stones. To their luck a small village had been close by to the shed. It had a small supermarket were nothing had been grabbed out off. They had eaten a few cans there, and took as much as they could with them. This time also some proteinbars to have something that was full of calories and replaced the empty water bottles with full ones.

They have been walking for few days and it was going faster now, they walked now up to 20 kilometres, since biking still wasn't a good option. With the steep slopes it was too hard to cycle on it and Abel's leg was still too weak to bycicle up the slopes. But they went down by bike. Which was fast and efficient. If they were right they were in Germany now, somewhere in Bavaria. The slopes had become less steep and Abel could walk on his leg normally now only he still had bit off uneven steps. It was not avoidable but they had to go through München. All the roads around it had more big cities on them. All they could hope....


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fifth chapter is finally finished, it became longer then I wanted it to be. It also became better as I thought it to be.
> 
> The others may take longer since the up coming weeks, will be quite busy for me. But I'll try to do my best to have them done in time.

 Elise was holding Abel's jacket firmly as they walked in the first residential areas of Munich which looked the same as the towns she had seen before. Desolated and scary as everything here was so much clearer that people have been here. The foot trails in the Ash, meaning someone had walked here shortly before them. The problem is the person could be good or bad willed. That was a reason why Abel held a gun in one of his hands. Another factor was the dried up blood that was on the walls and road, they reached a crossing point of two streets the traffic lights standing there with desolated cars under them. Abel stopped looking if something was on the road that crossed it.

Then out of no where they heard a low scream and someone being thrown against the wall. It was close by...  
She grabbed Abel's jacket harder between her fingers as she felt the fear run through her, something was wrong. But before she could even ask Abel what to do, he began to run in the direction the sound came from. She lost her grip on Abel's jacket and almost fell against the ash covered bricks. The bike clattered against the road as Abel threw it aside. He wasn't going to let someone die this time because he was too scared to do something. Even if his leg hurted, he was sure to safe that person, no matter how bad it would hurt him. His brows furrowed he was so done with all of this. Elise let go off her bike and began to run after Abel, trying to keep up but he got further and further away from her. She started to breath harder, as she started to panic, if Abel was away from her, she could die and even more worse he could die also.  
  
She didn't want to lose him too, her brother and Austria was already enough, she wouldn't be able to handle much more. He was her last reason to life now. She had no other person she knew that was still alive around her. "Abel! Stop!" She fell down over an higher laying brick, tearing her jeans apart and blood streamed out of a bruise, her hands were open and were hurting so much. She reached out for him in a failed attempt. "Abel! Wait! Please..." He didn't hear her anymore of the sound of his mind was filling him up with rage and confidence.  
  
She scrambled up as she knew Abel wouldn't stop running now and started to run after him. Her knee hurted but that wasn't something she was worried about, that could be treated later. Her feet let her go as fast as she could now that the pain made it harder to run so she lost track of him as he turned around by the a crossing point. Her heart beated hard in her chest as she no longer could see him. It made her run faster, even if her legs wouldn't allow it.  
  
His heart was beating hard in his chest. He was going to kill all of them, his rage would only stop when none of them were left. He heard the claws scrape over the street. Yet it wasn't in the street he was walking in, it seemed to come out off the street that wasn't much further away. His leg started to ache, but he wasn't going to give up that quickly. It gave him even more reason to keep running, because now he felt the pain of what happened to him because he had been to scared to do something. He could have tried to help Austria but he didn't. Instead he ran away with Elise out as he had thrown the figurine against Austria, he easily could have jumped him and remove the gun out of his hand and try to help him.

But no he ran, ran for his live with Elise. It was no different with Switzerland, he could have tried to safe him, but instead he complied with Basch and gave in to his wish and shot him dead. He could have tried to safe him, but the fear in him, made him agree with Basch, because if his help was to late. Basch would be hurting even more as he had to kill him back then with the claw. The gunshot hurted way less. His sister was also the same he just watched her how she was killed and didn't do anything against it. It should have been him that was killed that day, not his sister as he had been to scared to protect her. This time he was going to do it different he was going to protect Elise with his live, to redo everything he hadn't done when he should have done it.

This time it would be different he was going to safe this person, even if it would almost kill himself in the process. The crossing point came closer, he felt the adrenaline stream through him and his heart beat faster. Without any safetyness he normally took he just ran into the street.

There he saw it, a creature leaning over a person that was clearly heavily wounded and trying to get back up. He couldn't see much of the person, only that it had blond hair and was wearing green trousers that had turned black. Blood was on the claws, it must have caused the wounds. There was no other explanation for the blood dripping down it's claws. If he wouldn't act now the person would be killed. But he froze in his track, his eyes started to shiver, his mind was playing a game with him again. There he saw it, the person now was his sister bleeding to dead, crying as she called out towards him "Abel help me!" The reason he had to help the person now had turned against him. He grabbed his helmet, pressing his fingers white against it and bent through his back. "Stop playing this game with me..." He mumbled, "I'm done with being held down by you. I'm going to defeat you once and for all..." He looked towards the creature "together with you." He formed an emotionless expression, before he let go of his head. This would be the last time that his memory was going to hold him down.  
  
His hand lowered the glass of his helmet and set his feet such a way that if he had to run he could. He grabbed a rock that laid by his feet and threw it hard against the creature's head. The creature turned his head towards him and locked their gazes, his mouth opened and screamed at him. The claws went back before it set his first step towards him. His left hand went around the claw and grabbed it. "Hey you! Yeah you, how you dare to attack someone unarmed!" He took a step forward as he now felt the fear run through his whole body, but he didn't show that. "After all this time, I'm done with being afraid of you! You ruined everything! Why did you have to do that! I'm going to end all of you one by one!" The creature was watching him, like it was almost laughing at him. He would have done it in the same position, he must look insane for saying such a thing.  
  
The person that was laying there watching at him as he couldn't even trust him. As he could now see past the creature something looked familiar about him. The wounds he had were on his face and on his limbs. But the wounds and ash made it impossible to say exactly who it was. He could hear smaller feet ran his way. That's right he had forgotten about Elise, how stupid must he be. The person he wanted to be so careful and do everything good with he had left behind. He looked around seeing Elise standing behind him with a bleeding knee. What's is she doing, this could be her dead. He turned around and started to walk towards her. "Elise, get away! It's not safe for you!"  
  
Her eyes widened as she pointed behind him, he turned is head around to see the creature running towards him. How could he have forgotten about the creature? He pushed her back before the creature grabbed him and compressed him in it's grip. If felt as it was trying to sqeeuze him to dead. This would become a challenge, that he had to win. One of the claws caressed his helmet, it was almost if it had a affectionate meaning. That was a illusion, these creatures didn't care who they killed, all was it an old lady or a small kid it was a kill. He saw the creature trying to look straight in his eyes. It was if it was hesitating if it wanted to kill him or not. He felt the creature breath in his neck, it was an unpleasant feeling. He never had liked when somebody breathed in his neck. The bad smell of the creature's breath got in his helmet it made him want to puke as it smelt like rotten blood and flesh and he was sure that, that was what he smelt. Since he saw the blood drip of his teeth. He had waited long enough, the creature's time was up. He kicked in the creature's stomach making it drop him. He fell on his hands and knees, looking up he saw the rage in it's eyes.  
  
The other arm lashed out towards him, but he could avoid it before it would have hit him. He gritted his teeth and he stood up again, now it was his turn to hurt him. The creature screamed out to him as it's arm was sliced in half, that's what it deserved, it shouldn't have slashed out or him. It was now that it took steps back, Abel grinned even if it wasn't seeable. It went the same way every time, at first it looked like he was going to loose and in the end he won. It was getting quite boring, if you thought that way, but it wasn't. Because every time he could kill it a different way, which most time lay on how he felt. Now he could just let his rage take over at the end.  
  
He took the steps forward, that the creature took back. He scraped the claw over the bricks, just like the creatures did it. He used the same technic that they used to scare them, now they could feel how it felt to be played with before ending it all.  
  
His gaze went to Elise who was still sitting in the same place from how she had fallen on the ground. He turned towards the creature again, it was going to feel every piece of hatred in him. She was watching him in shock, she didn't know what to do. Abel took a big step forward and looked towards her again "Go help the guy over there, I'll be fine." She hesitantingly scrambled on her feet and ran behind him towards the man laying against the wall.  
  
"Don't worry sir, everything will be fine." She set herself on her knees besides the man's head. He looked deep in her eyes with his intense blue eyes, something was familiar about them. Like she had seen them before. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out his lips. "You don't have to say anything." Her small hands grabbed a water bottle out of the bag and poured a bit over the man's forehead. Together with the wound also some hair was cleaned, showing blond hair. Wait this was...  
  
She looked up as she heard a hard groan, it came from Abel as the creature swung him against a lantern. It looked like it hadn't hurted him as Abel stood up immediately and ran towards it. The same could be said about the creature. The only arm the creature had grabbed towards Abel only to have it cutted off. At this point it was clear he would win off it. As the creature screamed and slowly started to walk backwards.  
  
"Elise is that you?" She looked down towards the man's eyes, they spoke more then thousand words at this moment, pain, fear, sadness and... hope. His voice was so familiar, yet unfamiliar because of the fear that was combined with it. Something she never had heard in it. His hand reached up and did a piece if hair behind her ear carefully. Her hands grabbed his hand, she smiled as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Yes, it's me..."  
  
"It that everything you got, you weren't even a challenge." Abel's looked with a satisfied smile behind his helmet towards the creature's begging eyes. He wouldn't show mercy to it, it belonged to all of them that had caused this misery. He lifted the claw above his head and  pierced the creature's ribcage with all the rage that had built in him all the time. The creature screamed while moving his arms or what was left of them. He would make it quick, these screams didn't any longer satisfy his ears, now it was annoying and painful to hear. He started to turn the claw in the chest hearing bones break and organs snapping. He pulled the claw out again. It was still alive, it annoyed him why did he have to do so much before they finally would stop moving? Well then the old slit the neck of had to do the trick. He set the claw next to the creature's neck and in a fast sweep removed the head of it's torso. Finally it didn't struggle anymore as the black blood streamed out of the neck and chest.

Abel breathed fast and took some steps back. Great now he also smelt like rotten blood and flesh. He gave it one last kick, that's what he really needed. His rage for them was still far from gone.  
  
He looked towards Elise who was cleaning the wounds on his arms it made him smile, for the first time he actually had saved someone from dead. His gaze went back towards the creature's body, it made his smile disappear. He knew, one time his succes would end and he would end up like **_her_**. He would no longer use his sister's name or the term sister at all, as those words would break him the term **_her_** he could handle. He looked around him searching for the sliced of arms. He didn't know for how long the guy would stay with them, but he would need to help with protecting themselves. He could protect himself and Elise alone, but three that was just too much.  
  
One arm laid not to far of it's body, it almost looked like it was still connected as a blood trail perfectly aligned with the elbow joint. He set his feet on it and pressed his whole weight on it, before he began to pull at one of the claws. He could hear the nail slowly coming loose before it suddenly snapped of making him fall backwards. His head hit the ground hard and his jacket ripped at his elbow forming a small wound on it. His lungs took a sharp breath in on the moment he hit the ground.  
  
His back hurted, ever since the first time he faced such a creature only this hit against the ground made him stiffen. It was as if his nerves had been damaged a bit. As hard as he tried he couldn't move, he was trapped in his own body. He knew his back was a weak spot, ever since the wound the first creature had formed on his back, a good hit against it and he would crumble to the ground. It always left him numb for a minute before he could stand up again. He couldn't imagine how much luck he had that he hadn't stiffened up when he had been thrown against the lantern. This was what made him scared, what if he would be hit in his back as he was fighting such creature. He would die, that's for sure, but the reason he felt more frigthened was that if he died in a fight a big chance was that Elise wouldn't survive either. So his hope was that this guy stayed with them and could help him protect themselves.  
  
This is what he hid from her, he didn't want her to worry about him or feel any less safe because of this.  
  
He gritted his teeth as he sat himself straight up again through the pain that was signalling he needed to rest and lay down. If he only could do that, he would have done it. But this place is not safe for any rest even in best hiding place, these things could break in everywhere. That's what caused him to suddenly wake up in the nights as his heart raced in his chest.  
  
He could hear them whisper but it was to soft for him to hear. Wait, Elise is smiling, why is she smiling? It wouldn't be that he had killed it, he knew that she didn't like the killing. He actually should be angry at her for lowering the mouth mask outside but seeing her smile after such a long time made him change his mind. He laid the claw on his shoulder as he walked closer and for the first time saw how serious the wounds were, how had he even survived the attack?  
  
Both of them looked up at him, he could tell the guy was in much pain as he closed his eyes as Elise touch another wound. "Elise is that your brother?" He looked at him with focus the problem being that his helmet blocked the view on his face. It had to be someone he knew, but he just couldn't say precisely who. It made Abel chuckle, had he shrunken height. He thought personifications couldn't shrink, only grow. "No, it's Netherlands." The man's eyes widened, while Abel went through his knees while he lifted the helmet of his head, "Nice beard you have Germany, it looks good on you."  
  
"N-netherlands? How? The floods?" He didn't want to explain this thing again. Because that would remind him of her. "I'll explain later, first we have to get you to a safe place." Abel removed the bag of his back and his hand went towards Ludwig "I'm going to carry you."

"B-But, Abel your leg!" Elise said immediately, she knew how bad his leg was. If he almost couldn't walk by himself how would he even be able to carry Ludwig. She was worried about him, she knew he was hiding things from her that she didn't know what they precisely were and pushing far past his boundaries "My leg isn't important now, a safe hiding place is. If I can run I can carry someone." Ludwig looked doubtfully at him, he wanted to say no but he knew the Dutch would do the things he had set his mind on. Something about Abel had changed he could see it, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it were the eyes that now were dull, or his skin that had become white of the lack of sunlight.  
  
"You don't have to carry me. I'll be able to walk by myself." Abel looked unamused at him and sighed, his hands went through his loose hanging hair. His head pointed at the wounds on his legs "Even if you look like a professor, I won't believe you. With those wounds on your legs." There was a long cut that was surely deep on his upper leg and another deep one on his lower leg.  
  
"So, just put your arms around my neck," Abel turned around waiting for when he would do as told. He knew Netherlands was right, it made him sight as he looked to Elise and nodded. Elise helped him set himself straight so he could do his arms around Abel's neck. The Dutch slowly stood up with shaken legs and cursing under his breath. It was harder then he thought it to be. As he was straight his arms went under Ludwig's legs. Well that surprised the both of them, Ludwig and Liechtenstein never knew that Abel had been this strong. As he would normally not show it off. But then again, he had just killed a creature almost two times larger as him. As that wasn't an indicator that he was strong, Ludwig wouldn't know it. He turned towards Liechtenstein and saw the surprised look on her face. "Elise sorry to ask but can you carry the bag, I already have my hands full."  
  
"Of course, Abe.l" She lifted it up with effort and putted it on her small back. She hadn't expected that the bag would have been this heavy. It made her almost lose balance only for Abel to lift his leg behind her and push her back. Abel tried to ignore the feeling of Ludwig's breath in his neck and the feeling of Germany's beard against his skin. The beard looked good on Germany but it was irritating as hell against his neck. "Let's go, before another one of those things arrives."  
  
Abel started walking, followed by Liechtenstein next to him. Ludwig looked at the creature as they walked past it. He still couldn't believe it, how was Abel able to kill those things. He had tried everything, guns, grenades, knives and even a sword. It just didn't work. He had been trying to kill this one when it attacked him, yet Abel came in and only used a claw and won. It must be the claw then, maybe they could only be killed with their own claws. If he thought about it now it made sense. "Netherlands? How many times have you atleast killed these things."  
  
"This is the seventh. If you count the one that was in a human form." That was a lot, wait one in a human form, could they also turn in people. That thought terrified him. Those creatures were almost couldn't be killed expect if you had a claw. Which was impossible to get without dying. Expect for Abel apparently. He could almost cry, because finally someone that's alive crossed his path, not one but two. A neighbouring country and Liechtenstein. It was a weird combination as these two really never had met eachother and lived far from eachother. This made thoughts stream in his mind, didn't Abel have two siblings and Liechtenstein Switzerland. Why weren't they with them?  
  
He felt his eyes close, for the first time he felt safe, knowing that someone was there that could really kill these creatures. It didn't help that he hasn't slept in a long time, the nights he was wide awake from the sounds of those creatures walking outside. Scared that they would break in all of the sudden end his life. In the end he fell asleep with his head close in Abel's neck, it was just so nice to feel someone else's warmth against him again.  
  
***  
  
He groaned while he slowly opened his eyes seeing Netherlands putting bandages around his upper leg. Abel glanced at him shortly before looking back at wound he was taking care of. "I see you're finally awake." He could feel Abel's fingers carefully go over his skin while turning the bandage around the wound. "How long have I been sleeping?" Abel stopped with rolling the bandage and with one smooth move cutted the bandage with the Swiss army knife and stuck tape to it to keep it in place. He then looked up towards Elise sleeping in the corner of the room on a Mattress with Abel's ripped jacket laying half over her.  
  
"Long enough to pass normal bedtime." He laid Ludwig's leg carefully on the mattress, before he stood up and walked towards her. He went through his knees and laid the jacket back on Elise again as he saw her shivering in her sleep. His hand went through her hair while a small smile formed on his face. Before he sat himself next Ludwig again. He grabbed Ludwig's other leg and started to clean the cut in his lower leg. Ludwig took a sharp breath in when he felt the alcohol being pressed against it. "We have walked atleast for more than 5 hours before we found this bunker. It was already completely empty except for the mattresses and a small table with empty food cans on them. Surprisingly there's a toilet down here that works, but no shower, only a small sink."  
  
"Netherlands, how can I thank you for risking your life for me." Abel didn't look up at him as he grabbed the bandages to cover the wound. He laid his hand on Abel's arm to get his attention, which made Abel turn towards him. "By not dying and joining us on our search for others." It was something he hasn't expected from Abel, he thought of something valuable, but no he asked for that he recovered fast and be an companion on their journey.  
  
It was now that he noticed the scars on Abel's arms, it almost looked like a abstract painting. Some were long others small, some vertical others horizontal or diagonal. Most were fading away as that was a normal part of healing of a personifocation. Only scars that have a emotional background will stay with them. Most time they were from battles with people they hated or loved ones that had turned against them. Ludwig slowly let go of Abel's wrist, he thought he was going to form much of them, but Abel already had more scars on one arm then his whole body. Abel sure had been in a lot of pain judging from the scars. Abel took a deep breath in, while shivering a bit of the cold. It made goose bumps form on his skin as he now only was wearing a black tank top. Abel had seen Ludwig's reaction to his scars from the corners of his eyes, "Some still hurt, especially the one on my back, I couldn't treat it. You had luck Germany, that it hadn't hit you on your torso otherwise you would have been dead."  
  
His hand went through his hair, it made the scar on his forehead visible for a few seconds for Ludwig. He could see that it had reopened one time, as there was a slightly more pink part in the middle of it. Abel caught his gaze and sighed, as he cutted the bandage in half. "Where's Belguim?" Abel froze when Ludwig said it. He could see Abel's hand shiver when he pressed the tape down to keep the bandages in place. "Dead," Abel said it without looking up or any change in his voice, "just like Switzerland and Luxembourg propably also." Abel turned his head towards him with the same emotional expression, only the eyes told him how he felt. It looked like Abel was trying to keep his emotions inside of him, to keep them from coming out. "I can ask the same about Prussia."  
  
"He disappeared one day, just out of nowhere. We fell asleep together and when I woke up he was gone." A tear formed in the corner of his eye, he truly missed his brother. He didn't even know if he was still alive or dead. From that moment he started searching for him, in every city they have been together since Prussia started taking care of him. Hoping that he was in one of them, as those seemed the most logical he would have gone to. He still didn't know why Gilbert had left him, maybe because he had gotten in one of his flashbacks again. It happened sometimes that Prussia would be fully absorbed in them forgetting about his surroundings completely.  
  
It was now that he noticed that he was crying against Abel's chest, he felt Abel's arms around him while one hand caressed the behind of his head. He looked up seeing Abel looking back at him with a comforting smile, "We'll find your brother." Abel pressed him a bit more against his chest and Ludwig wouldn't be happier to hear someone's heartbeat again that was calm. It was comforting as Gilbert used to do the same when he was still small. It was logical that Abel knew how to comfort someone, just like Prussia he was an older brother only to Belguim and Luxembourg.  
  
"I'm sure he's searching for you, knowing him he'll not give up before he finds you." Abel's hands were cold against his skin, something that didn't bother him at all as Prussia's hands used to be that way too. One hand grabbed hold of Abel's tank top, feeling that it was wet. It must be his tears that had been absorbed by the material.  
  
The little light that lighted to room made it feel like he was back in time, only to remind him that he was in this horrible situation. But atleast with someone and not alone anymore. He didn't want to ask it as he expected a answer back he didn't want to hear.  
  
"I had heard from Elise that you two have been at Austria's house. Is he dead?" He felt Abel shudder and let a soft groan out, while he gritted his teeth. One of Abel's arms left him and grabbed hold of his own lower leg sqeeuzing it a bit. "No..." Ludwig looked confused at Abel, if he was still alive, why wasn't he with them? It was now that Abel completely let go of him and rolled his pants up, showing a shot wound that had started to bleed out of the sudden. "Who shot you?"  
  
"Austria..." Abel grabbed the bandages and turned them around his leg trying to stop it from bleeding. It was after this that he looked back to him. "Roderreich would never do that."  
  
As much as Abel wanted to believe that, but the scar on his lower leg was the proof of that it sure has been him. He said nothing, while he slowly pushed Ludwig back on the mattress, he had to rest and covered him with the thin blanket that had stayed behind. At first he had offered it to Elise, but she refused, she wanted that Ludwig got it to recover faster. That was the reason that Abel had lent her the jacket to atleast have something to keep herself warm. He seated himself on the bed next to Ludwig and laid his hand on Ludwig's that was now under the cover. Abel looked at his red eyes with the tears still on his cheeks. "It was him, but one detail told me something or someone was using him."  
  
"What was that?" Ludwig looked back at Abel seeing the fire in his eyes as he said 'using him', yet Abel was still shivering of the cold. This was because in bunker it was around 11 °C ( 52 °F) and he was sitting here in a tank top. Cold, that was what he looked like and felt like, but didn't nag about it, after all he could be have been dead, but he was here alive. So why nag about feeling cold. "His Piano was completley broken and if I know one thing, he wouldn't break it."  
  
Abel was right, Roderreich would never break his Piano, it was the thing he cared the most about. The only thing he cared more about was Hungary, the person that still had his heart beating a bit faster as she was around. Even after Austria-Hungary fell apart, there was just something about her that kept his feelings for her strong. Even if she didn't love him back anymore, she still came often to his house. "Have you seen Hungary?" Abel closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, I haven't."  
  
It was silent for a while as both didn't know what to say. Abel had started to rub his arms to atleast become a bit warmer. "Abel, come under the blanket, you're freezing." Ludwig shoved himself slowly a bit more to the side and lifted to blanket up so Abel could get under it quickly.  
  
"No, Elise wanted you to have it not me."  
  
"Abel, I don't want you to become sick. You can't protect Elise if you're sick." He knew Ludwig was right and laying under that blanket would surely make him a bit warmer. He knew that Ludwig was trying to show gratitude to him and he felt bad for declining it. "Fine, I'll come under the blanket."  
  
He laid himself as far as possible to the side wanting to keep his personal space and give the majority of the mattress to Ludwig. Only to feel Ludwig's arm go around his waist and pull him against his chest. "Ludwig, what are you doing!" He whispered it softly, not wanting to wake Liechtenstein up. He felt Ludwig's warm breath against his neck, but he didn't say something of it. "Keeping you warm is the only thing I can do in return, for saving me."  
  
Abel didn't say a word as he closed his eyes, the warmth was something that was nice, it made him press himself more against Ludwig's chest. It was nice to feel someone's chest moving to breath. It was calming and reassuring him that he wasn't alone. The breath in his neck was something that he just accepted to be an part of this. He didn't want to put it this way, but he fell asleep of the warmth coming from Ludwig.  
  
***  
  
When he woke up in the morning he still felt Ludwig's arm over his waist and his breath in his neck. He felt Ludwig's feet softly going over his legs. He was to lazy to care about it this moment. He tiredly looked around the room seeing that Elise already had gotten up as she was no longer laying on the mattress in the corner. "Are you two in a relationship?" He saw her standing a few metres from the bed. He rubbed his face slowly, it took a few seconds to process what she had said. He looked at her still tired. "N-"  
  
"It's okay." It was at this moment what he realised what she had asked, it made him open his eyes wide. He watched her walk to the bathroom. He pulled himself out of Ludwig's arms and reached out with his arm.  
  
"Wait! we're not in a relation-!" She threw the door close behind her, not hearing what he said "...ship." great now she thought he and Ludwig were in a relationship, he even wasn't in a relationship, he has been single for more then... He didn't even know how long, it was sure that it atleast was more as 40 years that he has been single. He was really hopeless on the path of love as that wasn't his best aspect.  
  
Ludwig groaned behind him as his arm searched for Abel that used to lay there. He turned his gaze towards Ludwig. "We have a problem."  
  
"And what's that problem?" Ludwig turned himself on his back, trying to not fall asleep again. He saw Abel looking super serious at him.  
  
"Elise thinks we're in a relationship..."  
  
"And..." Ludwig turned his back towards Abel as he still wasn't realising what Abel precisely had said. "We're not in a relationship." Abel shook his shoulder, making Ludwig look at him half asleep. He raised one brow, confused at him. "So..? Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
"No, but shouldn't we atleast say that we aren't." Ludwig didn't give a reaction back and simply stared at him, it made Abel swallow as it made him feel uncomfortable. "We don't have to, if we are." Was Ludwig serious? Wasn't he in a relationship with Feliciano, for more than 60 years already. Than he would cheat on him and that would break Feliciano's heart. Why would he even want it with him, they didn't know eachother that well. Besides the meetings they talked and the private meetings over trade between their countries.  
  
"N-no, Ludwig that's just wrong, in many ways. You're in a long-term relationship with Feliciano." In no way he was going to start a relationship with someone he knows is in a relationship and especially when it's a really long one where they completely trust eachother. Ludwig sighed at his reaction.  
  
"You don't understand me, do you?" Abel looked confused at him,  
  
"We're going to pretend that we're in a relationship. To give Elise this safe family feeling, it's the least thing we can do to make her feel safe." Ludwig turned himself towards Abel and sat himself up. He was serious, something Abel could have guessed. But he never thought Ludwig would suggest that. It still felt wrong to him, would Elise even believe that they are in a relationship? And why would she even feel more safe by thinking they are in a relationship. "And how do you think that she's going to feel any safer because of that?  
  
"Take Sweden's and Finland's relationship as an example, do you think Sealand feels safer because of the relationship he knows is in between them." Ludwig had a good point there. But Sealand was younger as Elise, so would it really work? He tried the interpreter it how he would feel if he was still small and had two people around him that were in a relationship by that thought, from what he thought it was a yes, he would definitely feel more safe. Because people that are in love will do everything to protect eachother and the person that is under their care.  
  
"Yes, I think."  
  
"So why wouldn't Liechtenstein feel more safe by thinking that the two people that will protect her are in a relationship. She already sees you as a sort of brother and knows that you'll do to everything to keep her safe all the time. She knows I will do the same."  
  
Abel looked worried at Ludwig, he sighed and closed his eyes, he breathed slowly out. It was so strange in his opinion. "So Abel, are we going to do this?" He would only do it for Elise, because if it wasn't for her he had slapped him in his face for even suggesting it, because Ludwig then wasn't truthful to Feliciano. Even if it wasn't sure the Italian was still alive, it still would be cheating.  
  
"Yes, but remember not for us but for her. Since we don't love eachother and you're in a relationship with Feliciano. I won't hesitate to break your arm, if it turns out you didn't do it for Elise, because then it's cheating." It was a thread, to make sure Ludwig wouldn't take any advantage of this situation. That they started.  
  
"I will never cheat on Feliciano, he's the love of my life ever since the first day it started. What we'll do is a fake relationship"  
  
"Good."

* * *

 

Eliot was looking at how Arthur and Francis were making themselves ready to leave again. He knew they were going to Dresden, they've told it to him after all, apparently for the last contact England had with Germany a while ago. Hoping that he would atleast find him. He didn't know why he still was deciding to join them. His brother wouldn't come to him and the only one that he thought was searching for him was his sister. But she wouldn't find him if he was under the ground twenty-four seven. He wouldn't even survive that much longer before he would run out of food, maybe he could still stay here for two weeks, before he had to go above the surface alone. Something that would kill him for sure. But then he was alone again, the thing he despised the most. Having no one around him was something he didn't want again and his survival chances were the highest if he would go with them.  
  
He started to panic when he saw Arthur starting to climb the ladder. At that moment he decided he would go with them. He stepped towards Francis' and grabbed onto his jacket sleeve "Wait! I'm coming with you," Francis turned and looked at him surprised, "I don't have anything left here." Francis saw the determination and sadness in his eyes. It was on the moment that they wanted to leave that Eliot suddenly showed interest in coming with them. Francis looked towards England who looked downwards at them, with the weapons they had with them on his back. Arthur nodded as he said "You can come with us, we won't leave you behind." He could understand that Eliot wanted to come with them and didn't question it.  
  
"Thank you! I already have packed a bag with food." He let go of Francis' sleeve and ran away before he came with a big backpack in his arms. England in the meantime had already was looking through the opening for any danger or if such a creature was there. Maybe he was even happy that Eliot would come with them, he after all knew the best way through this city and the rest of his country. He also wouldn't be killed without them knowing and three was more safe as two right?  
  
"It's safe we can leave." England went down the ladder seeing Luxembourg stand there with a big backpack on. "Can you lead the way through the city?" Eliot looked at him, a bit confused, wasn't he the one that leaded this journey and not him. "Sure. Follow me then." He walked towards the ladder and started to climb it, followed by the other two. He was really going to do this, leave his safe place and risk his life, just for the hope to find his sister and others maybe. He crawled out and set himself up, it has been a long time that he had been outside his bunker. It looked worse than he had remembered it looked.  
  
He grabbed England's hand and helped him to come out and did the same with France before he closed the bunker off. Never to be opened again by one of them. "So which way is the fastest towards Dresden from here?" It was their goal to get there as fast as possible even if it could take weeks by just walking. "This way." Luxembourg pointed straight ahead of them, before he started to walk, making the other two follow him.  
  
Arthur grabbed Francis' hand, while they started to walk, pulling Francis closer against him. It made him feel safer, knowing that if something happened he could pull him with him. The black sky had worsened as it looked as the wind had started to change and the black stuff fell from another direction. "What's this stuff in the sky? It looks familiar somehow." Francis had seen it before, but just couldn't precisely think of what it could be, so he couldn't answer Arthur's question. It looked a lot like dust, but is was heavier and darker and dust wouldn't make such thick clouds that stayed do long in the air. Eliot looked over his shoulder "It's volcanic ash, remember when one of Iceland's Volcanoes erupted and our air traffic couldn't fly for several days."  
  
It made sense, as that was the only thing that could be in the atmosphere for so long with this wind. "and I think it's more as only Iceland's volcanoes, I think it are all the volcanoes in Europe combined. Otherwise it couldn't be so much ash." Eliot turned his gaze forward again and said nothing more. Arthur looked at Francis worried, he could see the fear in Francis. He was fearing the old volcanoes that once had been in his country could also start with erupting even if they hadn't done anything for more then millions of years and it had been several.  
  
"Do you think the ones with volcanoes in their country are still alive?" He grabbed Francis hand a bit tighter. He knew Iceland, Italy and Greece had volcanoes. But not precisely where. He had the least hope for Iceland as Reykjavik his main city and the city where he lived was situated close to the place where the American plate and Eurasian plate were moving apart. Which normally caused small volcanic eruptions now and then. But now it would be gigantic ones. For Greece and the Italians he couldn't precisely say it, but his hope wasn't that high.  
  
"Depends, on where they were when the volcanoes started, if they were close I don't think so, if far away, yes I could see them still being alive." That hadn't answered his question but he took the answer for granted. He sighed, why had this have to happen, nobody had asked for it. But atleast he has Francis, to help him get through it all, he was sure, if he hadn't found Francis from the start he would have lost his mind. The French man was the only one that could convince him of something. Even if there past hasn't been the best, he loved him now.  
  
He putted his shirt over his nose as his lungs began to burn of the ash entering them. Francis started to cough next to him, Arthur started to hit on his back to help him. Eliot heard it and turned around. "Want to have this scarf? The ash is really bad for your lungs." He grabbed a scarf out of the back that looked similar to the one Abel used to wear. He walked towards Francis and did the scarf tightly around his face. "Better?"  
  
"Better, but what about you?"  
  
"Don't worry I have my jacket that I can use." He lifted his jacket over his nose and did thumbs up, before he turned around and started walking again. Francis knew it was to hide the sadness, from the time he had the Netherlands and Luxembourg under him. Netherlands would never show his sadness and hid it completely behind a mask of fury. Luxembourg was the complete opposite, he still hid the sadness behind a mask. But that mask had a permanent smile and doing like he was happy all the time, just like his sister. It was clearly visible that Eliot has been influenced by both his siblings, from his personality to how he dresses.  
  
Francis worried about him, there was just this aura around him that told something was wrong with him. Even if he didn't show it, just like his brother he would push far past his boundaries, before he would completely break down. A break down is something that was something to avoid in this time. Especially if they were vulnerable.  
  
The walking, it seemed like ages, before they settled to stay somewhere for the night. It was on an army base, but that didn't make them feel any safer. As the fence they got through already had a big gaping hole in it. With rotting bodies of several soldiers laying around it. Why had they even gone outside, it must have been orders to protect the base. One of those things has been here, it made them wanting to move on and go somewhere else.

Only to see it getting darker as the little light that reached them started to get weaker. If there had been a house close by they had gone to it. But nothing was around the base only grass fields and forests. They searched for the door that was the entrance to the building, only to find it already opened with a dried blood trace going inside of it and becoming invisible as the dark filled the rest.

Eliot grabbed the side of the door opening with one hand and squeezed it as he stepped inside with a shaking leg. Eliot was really calm, something Arthur didn't understand, how could he be it? "This is the only place we can stay for tonight. As nothing more is close to this base." Both of them watched Luxembourg step inside, seeing him disappear in the darkness.  
  
Francis took a deep breath in and stepped towards the broken door, he watched back towards Arthur still standing their. His hand reached out for him to grab, he swallowed before he grabbed Francis hand and was pulled inside. There was just something about this building that made the fear crawl up their backs. The atmosphere, wasn't the best.  
  
He grabbed Francis' hand tightly, wanting him to stay close to him. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw papers laying across the floor with blood on the walls. The smallest texts were written on the concrete walls. All apologising to their families or how desparate and scared they have been. A wooden table was in the middle of the room, with a dead plant on it. It almost looked like scene for a Hollywood movie, but it was real. Slowly they walked further in seeing that one of the soldiers had killed himself with a bullet through his head as the gun still was in his hand. "Eliot? Where are you?" Francis called out, they heard footsteps come their way, not walking but running. Eliot came through a door that had been standing open. His breath was a little faster. "Sorry... I-I was looking for a safer place and found one. I shouldn't have left you."  
  
"No, you shouldn't have and you won't do it again, because you scared the hell out of me when you came running our way." Arthur said it angrily and pressed his finger against Eliot's chest. It made Eliot take a step back, while Arthur crossed his arms and glared at him. Eliot sure was a nice guy, but sometimes he just couldn't interpreter how others would react to things he does. It could be seen that Eliot felt truly sorry for scaring him.  
  
"Well where's this safe place?" Francis laid his hand on Eliot's shoulder, with a serious look on his face. "It's all the way through that hall downstairs, in the basement."  
  
"Let's go to there then." His hand softly hit his shoulder before he pulled Arthur with him, who was fighting him to get loose. As he didn't want to go in that dark hallway. Eliot sighed before he stepped in the hall and closed the door before he followed them. He could hear them mumble, but didn't hear what they were saying. It was just a dark hallway, there weren't even traces of blood here, yet still he didn't feel comfortable as this whole complex was almost a horror movie set. Where it didn't take long before it would go wrong. The stairs cracked under their feet, meaning this was a very old part of the building as it was from old wood. When the door opened they were greeted by a light bulb lighting the whole room in a yellowish tint.  
  
"Well, it isn't much, but atleast closed of from the rest." Eliot said from behind them as he also came down from the stairs. It was true what he had said, the only thing that was down hear, was dust, an old chair that was almost breaking apart and a simple blanket in the corner. Eliot walked past them and dropped himself on the blanket like he was at home, while he threw his back pack of on the ground. He grabbed the back pack set it in his lap, before he opened and pulled few cans out of it together with some forks. "Want some? You guys must be hungry." He looked up at them with a can in his hand, seeing them a bit confused. Arthur looked at Francis, hesitating what to do. He was confused why didn't Eliot look scared or even sad, as a smile was on his face. But Francis knew better, he was just locking everything inside of him.  
  
"Sure I'm starving." Francis said as they walked towards Eliot and sat themselves down on the blanket, before grabbing a fork and a can. It was silent when they ate, they didn't say something and Eliot didn't either. The smile wasn't on his face anymore as Eliot stirred his fork through the can. He was absorbed in his own mind, while he watched the left overs dance with his fork. A small smile formed on his lips as he remembered his brother always saying he had to clean his plate as they hadn't much food back in the days.  
  
***  
  
Francis had his arm around Arthur's waist as they lay together on the blanket, Eliot had said he didn't mind sleeping in the other corner on the dirty ground. It was now that Arthur was shivering of the cold together with Francis. "I have the feeling, Eliot is still dealing with the death of Abel. He just acts so different then he did before you told it."  
  
Arthur turned his head around and kissed Francis quick on the lips. Francis pulled him closer against his chest. "Everyone changes after they loose someone they love." He felt Francis' breath in his neck, it made him calm a bit down. Arthur got hold of his hand and held it softly, "I'm so glad I found you." He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the light that was lighting the room. He wanted to sleep, but something in him was stopping from reaching the point he was calm enough to actually do it. "Love will always find his way even if it separated by an ocean." Francis lay a quick kiss in Arthur's neck, so carefully that his lips almost didn't touch his skin.  
  
"Eliot is already sleeping, maybe we should also try to sleep." They looked towards Eliot who had his back towards them and breathing softly and peacefully. Arthur nodded slightly, even if he felt scared and nervous he should atleast try it. It surely helped that Francis was close to him and not somewhere he didn't know, because then he would have felt a lot worse. He didn't know how long it had taken him as it felt the time slowed down, when Francis was asleep besides him, but he finally fell asleep.

  
***  
  
"Arthur, wake up." Arthur slowly opened his eyes, seeing Francis hanging above him while he shook his shoulder. Francis' voice sounded scared and nervous. He let a groan out as he stretched himself, sleeping on the ground hadn't done anything good as his back now hurted. "What's wrong?" He set himself straight, still looking a bit sleepy.  
  
"Eliot is already talking half an hour to a plant in the entrance room and I don't understand what he's saying. I'm worried about him." That sounded strange. It made Arthur shook his head, Eliot must be a bit paranoid by the dead of his brother. Arthur knew that Abel liked gardening so maybe Eliot thought he was talking to his brother.  
  
"Let's take a look then." He lifted himself off the ground and followed Francis up the stairs. It was now that he heard Eliot, it indeed wasn't English or French. The closer they got the more desparate the voice sounded. Finally when they were through the door opening the saw him in a corner on his knees by a rotting tulip. Arthur fell silent and watched it curiously, he was talking, but something they didn't understand. "It must be his brother he's talking to." Arthur whispered, as he didn't want to interrupt him, "he's maybe thinking Abel hears him."  
  
As Francis stepped back making a wooden plank crack under his feet, which made Eliot turn himself around and look at them. "Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt yo-"  
  
"It's alright, I was just done and we should be going anyway." Eliot walked their way before he went in the hallway and down in the basement. Both didn't understand what was happening, why Eliot was talking to a rotting tulip and wanted to leave right way.  
  
"Let's go." Eliot was suddenly behind them with his backpack, "we don't want to waste any useful time." His voice sounded stressed and his face looked the same. It was if he had to get somewhere on time. In fact they could leave immediately as they had everything already on them. "This place is starting to creep me out." Eliot walked past them making them immediately follow, as they didn't know the way here. Eliot's pace was faster then yesterday, it propably had to do with this building, that he now finally realised how creepy this place was.  
  
Eliot didn't say much even when they walked, it was if he was completely turned in himself. Only when they saw village appear on the horizon he started to smile and exclaim "This is one of my favourite towns! Can we go through it?" He looked at them with begging eyes, Francis looked at Arthur not knowing what to say. "Yes we can, but not too long."  
  
"Thank you," Eliot turned around again, "it's not that I expect much of it, it's just that I want to remember some of my memories there." It was if Eliot completely had lightened up. It wasn't that long before they arrived in the first street with the first houses. It didn't look as depressed as the main City, since there were no traces of blood and no foot traces that were visible. It was really old as the street stones, looked like they had laid there for several centuries. Luxembourg slowed his pace. Taking in the damage that the ash had done to it. The white houses black, actually everything had lost it's colour, everything was black or grey. Arthur and Francis watched Eliot closely not wanting to loose the way again. It didn't look that spectacular to them, it was just another black village. The only thing that caught their attention was how much ash was in the village alone. Others almost had just the half of this one.  
  
Out of the sudden Eliot started to run, Arthur and Francis didn't hesitate to follow and started to run after him "Eliot wait, don't leave us!" He didn't care he was yelling a this moment, because otherwise Eliot wouldn't hear him. But he kept running and turned into a small street. What was with Eliot, why didn't he react? He had to be absorbed in his own mind again, just like with the rotting tulip in the entrance room. Eliot suddenly turned into a small street that was in between to shops. Arthur and Francis started to run faster, not wanting to loose Eliot and get lost in this small village.

If they turned into a street, they saw Eliot on his knees by the end of the street, his back was shivering. The walked towards him, hwaring that he was crying. When they stood besides him, Arthur softly laid his hand on Eliot's shoulders. "What's wrong Eliot?" Eliot stopped sobbing and turned his head around, showing a sphycotic smile before he began to laugh hysterically. Arthur and Francis took few steps back out of fear and not knowing what to do. Eliot's small pupils were looking at them, it was now that he stood up and started to walk towards them. They saw something shine in Eliot's right hand: it was a knive. Something was wrong, really wrong with Eliot. Why had he ignored the dark feeling he had around him, as Eliot was completely crazy. Fear was completely in them.

Arthur and Francis turned around ready to run only to see a group of people stand there, all in black with a white masks on and guns pointing towards them. One of them pointed his arm forward towards them. A heavy voice was heard, it must be a man "Get them!" Several ran their way, making them turn around again, seeing Eliot with his sphycotic smile. His hand was shaking that held the knive before he pulled it up and started to run to them.  
  
They were trapped, even if they came past Eliot they wouldn't be able to get away as their stood a wall that was five metres high. (Around 16/17 feet) Arthur felt a hard kick in his back making him hit the ground hard, forming a wound on his cheek. He set his hands beside him to push himself up only to have several hands push him hard against the ground. His hands were grabbed forcefully and roughly pulled onto his back. As much as he was trying to pull them out of the people's grip there were just to much holding onto him. A rope was tied around his arms to keep them together and not movable. He looked to the left seeing the same happening to Francis, only with more people around him. He groaned when his ankles were grabbed and tied together.  
  
Even if they were tied up now, they still held onto them. He could hear the one that had ordered it walking in between, before he saw the shoes go past his face. They could hear him chuckle, only not seeing his face. Both of them were looking at the men with hatred.  
  
"You really believed him do you? That he could be trusted." His arm went around Eliot's shoulder and pulled him towards him. Eliot's hands were still clamming around the knive, his lips were shivering while he laughed. "Stab, stab, stab, stab..." Eliot said it while his pupils flashed in every direction and was making stabbing movements. The man forcefully grabbed the knive out of Eliot's hands, turning it between his fingers before he threw it just next to Francis' head. "What did you do to him!"  
  
The man just kicked in the ash making ash fly in Arthur's face. "This guy actually ran into us a while ago. While we were after someone else. But beggars can't be choosers, so why not use him instead for our plan." He pushed Eliot away on the ground, who didn't protest or show any pain. Eliot just stayed there on the ground, exactly the way he had fallen down. "We have him in our control now, he does everything we ask from him."  
  
"Why are you doing this? I demand an explanation!" He yelled it again trying to not sound afraid, something he definitely was. The people holding them down started to laugh, even the man was laughing, who now walked towards them. He went through his knees and grabbed Arthur's cheeks hard, making Arthur look up at him while he gritted his teeth. The white mask made it all the more terrifying.  
"Like we're going to tell you that... Great Britain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was a unsuspected turn out. Luxembourg being used by a mysterious group.

**Author's Note:**

> Witte Dood (Dutch)- White Dead  
> Zus (Dutch)- Sister  
> Oh got nein(German)- oh god no  
> Bruder(German)- Brother  
> Dresden is a City located in the east of Germany close to the border with the Czech Republic and Poland


End file.
